7 Ways to Meditate While you Move

The most wonderful thing about meditation — besides its effectiveness in improving mental and physical health — is that it's endlessly flexible. While sitting meditations are probably the most common way to practice quieting your mind, there are several styles of meditation, from transcendental, spiritual, guided, mindfulness, focused — including movement-based.

Yes, you can meditate while moving.

Usually, it involves doing something repetitive and simple — so that while you're moving, you can also kind of lose yourself and find stillness inside. Anything that helps you focus on your breath (or at least won't interfere with focusing on it) is a positive too.

Walking: If you've ever enjoyed walking in a labyrinth and found yourself in a calm, mindful state, you've done a walking meditation. (In fact, labyrinths were originally created for meditation.) You don't need a labyrinth to accomplish this though, and while a familiar path is best, you can can do it almost anywhere it's safe to let your guard down and stroll. It's fairly easy to begin a walking meditation; check out these guidelines and give it a try.

Drawing: Drawing can certainly get you into a flow state, which is similar to meditation, but if you don't already draw, you might want to try Zentangle, in which you build images through repetitive patterns. As Maria Popova writes on BrainPickings: "Each pattern is built one line at a time, organically combining simple patterns into complex zentangles in unplanned, unexpected ways that grow, change and unfold on the page as you enter an immersive state of flow."

Coloring: Coloring books have gained popularity over the last few years, and one of the reasons why is their meditative benefits. When I asked friends about why they enjoyed coloring, several mentioned Meditation Techniques, which surprised me. MNN's Robin Shreeves wrote: "When I'm doing [coloring books], I don't think about anything but colors." Unlike drawing or painting, coloring doesn't require any previous knowledge or ability to get started, which could be a stumbling block for some.

Yoga: People often associate yoga as something you do before or after meditation, but if you're familiar with some basic poses, it can become a meditation in itself. A slower pace, and holding poses for extended periods of time can facilitate a more meditative experience.

Swimming: Personally, this is one of my favorite active ways to meditate. I've even said that "swimming is my yoga" when I show up to hang out with friends with wet hair from the pool.

[Source: http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/blogs/7-ways-meditate-you-move]