“What does spring have to do with meditation?” you might ask. Each season offers opportunities to bring creativity to our meditation practices. Want to know what spring can bring? In the spring, especially in places that have had a cold winter, going outdoors is especially pleasurable. The breezes are cooling, the sun is warm, there is no need for heavy jackets, sweaters and socks and days are longer.
So, springtime brings some rain, it’s true, but also amazingly beautiful flowers from seeds and bulbs.
Here is a list of thirty ways to bring new zing to your meditation practice in the spring:
- go outdoors and listen to the sounds of the birds
- listen to the trees as the breezes rustle the leaves
- look at the many different shades of green that emerge from trees
- watch the sunlight filter through trees in a wooded area
- practice walking meditation
- watch the sun set each evening
- take a mindful walk early in the morning
- walk by the sea and feel the sand on your bare feet
- plant a garden
- pull weeds from the garden
- watch as what you plant in your garden grows
- enjoy the fruits and vegetables from your garden
- cook vegetables from your garden
- hang the laundry outdoors on a clothes line
- hike in a state park
- enjoy an outdoor massage
- swim in the sea, a lake or a pool
- practice yoga outdoors
- practice QiGong outdoors
- make cooking a meditation
- enjoy chopping, slicing, sauteing food
- enjoy the aromas of what you cook
- go camping
- play outdoors with children
- have a picnic by yourself
- have a picnic with a friend
- watch wind patterns on a pond
- bring your sketch pad outdoors to draw trees, grass, birds or whatever comes into your vision or imagination
- bring your watercolors and other paints outdoors with a canvas
- don’t make any plans for the day and have a retreat at home, making each action and interaction a meditation
Everything we do can become a meditation when we pay full attention to it. And isn’t that what meditation should be? It is one thing to be mindful when we are sitting alone in meditation, but the real test of mindfulness is when we are out and about in “real” life.
Spring, with beautiful weather and the splendor of flowers and trees, is a great time to bring our meditation practice off the mat and into the world. Give it a try!
