Meditate While You do the Dishes

Meditate while you do the dishes. Why not? Why not be at peace with the little tasks you must complete throughout your day? These tasks are not going anywhere, so why not find the joy while taking your garbage out? Sing a song and maybe even bust out a dance move here or there. Find something to smile at and marinade in that emotion for a while. After all, there are infinite ways to meditate. From pure Transcendental to visualization, to focused intention, and moving mediations; there are just about as many ways to meditate as there are people who partake in the practice. Now, perhaps the peaceful zen-like meditation is not the type to be sought while swirling that damp kitchen cloth over yet another dish. But I wouldn't put it past even you to turn this once-annoying task into an opportunity to grow on a subconscious, spiritual or emotional level. Choose a meditation method; try it out, and try not to drift too far into the void that you drop and break your favorite coffee mug!

Below I have included some of the most popular ways to meditate. Of these, I have highlighted a few that I have found to be most gracefully carried out wile actively moving about IE: doing the laundry, cleaning the house, cutting the grass, doing the dishes:

Mindfulness meditation is probably my most common form of practice while carrying out the day to day task. This type of meditation can most easily be described as complete focus on the breath or something else consist and present. Transient music, laughing children or an ocean breeze rolling through an open window can all be subjects to help dance you away from distractions, noise and any negativity. This could then be used to direct you toward the peace that can be found in the present moment. This method, as you can imagine, might very well become very enticing when your normal doing-the-dishes routine sounds and feels like an overworked marching band!

Another wonderful way to tap out of the noise and plug into something greater is through Effortless presence meditation. This type of meditation is one of the most common and also most complex. It involves quiet and conscious introversion in an effort to uncover the parts of the ego which stack up on top of your pure being. One of my favorite styles of Effortless presence is "I am" meditation, which can simply but dutifully be carried out while doing the dishes. It involves asking or declaring "Who am I?" or "I am"… What follows the statement should not consist of answers within the physical, material world but instead would seek to be explored as feeling, emotions, colors, sounds and awareness. This method can be fun and very insightful as you practice and find that you can quite possibly find a near perfectly blissful state while you perform a normal chore.

If I have been feeling off, perhaps hurt or defeated by something or someone I can steer my practice toward a Loving Kindness meditation. This style allows one to get quiet in the mind and begin drumming up emotions of loving-kindness for the self. This is followed at no particular pace by expanding outward from self into feeling emotions of loving-kindness for a close friend or family member, then to a neutral person, on to someone you do not get along with, to groups of people, and finally on to non-humans, where we can focus our loving emotions toward plants and water, toasters, Mother Earth and of course, DISHES! :-)

There are hundreds of ways to meditate as described by the research and practices. But there are infinite ways to meditate when you consider the human condition. Each one of us is a unique soul walking on a unique journey. Whatever way works best for you to explore the inner-depths of your consciousness- Explore! Learn from the wisdom you will come to find when the mind gets quiet enough for you to actually hear! And for the sake of clean dishes, folded laundry and delicious (healthy, primal, paleo, non-processed, organic) meals; meditate while you work. And of course, stay Elevated.