Do You Need To Be Still When You Meditate?
This is a common question for those who are exploring the practice of meditation and honestly, my answer to this question has evolved and changed over time. So if you’re asking the question, “Do you need to be still when you meditate,” I hope this post gives you some insight and helps you to either start a meditation practice or dive deeper into one.
Meditation is an ever evolving personal practice.
Back when I first became a yoga teacher, I probably would have said yes, you need to be still when you meditate. You might even find me saying this in old blog posts but….a spiritual practice is an ever evolving one and I don’t believe the answer is so clear cut anymore. So, after practicing my own moving meditation, I was inspired to write this post to explore this question.
When looking at either moving or being still in meditation, I think it depends on two things:
First, what is your goal of meditation and what are you looking to get out of your practice?
Second, what works best for you?
Through opening yourself up on a spiritual level, you’ll learn that there are always multiple ways to go about your spiritual practice. What helps me to connect spiritually might be different from what helps you. Also, what worked for you 3 years ago, might be different from what works for you now.
That’s why I’m going to share with you my personal experience in regards to this question, “Do you need to be still when you meditate?” I share not because I think my experience is the only way, I share because I want you to open your mind to explore new dimensions in your own spiritual practice. Take with you what resonates and leave what does not.
Stillness vs. Movement In Meditation
Do you need to be still when you meditate?
As of late, I’ve been finding some movement in my own meditation practice and have been really enjoying it.
I came across a fascinating idea on a podcast that suggested that staying still can facilitate a connection with one’s divine masculine energy, while movement encourages a connection with the divine feminine. While I don’t believe that sitting still exclusively relates to tapping into one’s divine masculine energy, it does exhibit characteristics often associated with masculinity, such as structure and discipline. It’s important to note that this concept may not be so clear cut as meditation in general aims to harmonize these two energies to connect with a pure, genderless divine energy. Nonetheless, this perspective has certainly shifted my view on the practice of meditation.
Feminine energy is fluid. So if your goal is to connect more with your feminine energy, maybe it does make sense to find some movement in your meditation practice.
Maybe we need both stillness and movement. Maybe this combination can help us to guide our minds into a meditative state to connect with our soul.
I know this isn’t a clear cut answer but this is spirituality, being curious about what you are doing and being open to the exploration of what helps you connect with your soul.
I might have a totally different answer a year from now and that’s ok! My OCD brain doesn’t love this, it wants to give you a clear cut answer but this is the beauty of spirituality. (And when I say OCD brain I mean it, I legit have OCD I’m not using it as an adjective). And even though my OCD brain doesn’t love this, this type of mindset is actually really helping me to embrace the mysteries of the unknown.
How To Practice Meditation With Movement
I’m sure you won’t be surprised that there’s not one specific way to practice a moving meditation, but I will share with you how I practice to help give you guidance.
While there are times where I enjoy sitting in stillness, there are times where I’m drawn to movement. And not movement in the way of ‘I’m uncomfortable or fidgety and want to move,‘ movement in the way of connecting with my body on an intuitive level.
What I’ve been enjoying lately is sitting while listening to music and then allowing myself to move in whatever way I intuitively feel my body needs. Usually, it isn’t even that much movement and sometimes I pause in stillness. I just lose myself in the music, connect with my spirit, and move. I like to stay in sitting to stay connected to the Earth while I practice movement, but do what feels right for you. This isn’t the only way.
I find moving in meditation helps strengthens the body-soul connection as the movement is coming from an intuitive place.
After this type of meditation, I still feel connected on a soul level and I still feel connected to divine energy, so is it wrong to move while you meditate? I don’t think so anymore.
I think the key is to be moving mindfully and/or intuitively. Like I said, it’s not moving because you’re fidgety. Of course, if something is truly uncomfortable while you’re meditating, you should change your position, but if it’s just your mind trying to pull you out and make you move, then it’s better to try to stay still.
OR if this is something you struggle with, maybe you try to intentionally move with your intuition to start to train yourself yo be able to sit still for meditation.
What is a moving meditation good for?
There are some situations where a moving meditation may be really beneficial for you.
If you are feeling stuck or stagnant in your energy or in a specific situation in life, then finding some intuitive movement in a meditative state might really help you.
Moving meditation is also great for helping to boost creativity. I legit just practiced a moving meditation and then sat down to write this post…and this was without prior planning, it was all from intuition. I normally don’t like to jump right into work after I meditate, but I had to get this out on paper..or on the computer.
Finding movement within a meditation is also amazing for helping you to connect with your feminine energy. For men, if you feel disconnected from your feminine side, try out a moving meditation. For women, you may feel more drawn to move in your meditation at certain points within your monthly cycle.
What is stillness good for?
Even though moving meditations are great, don’t underestimate the power of stillness. Although I have been enjoying moving meditations, I still often practice in stillness.
Stillness helps you strengthen your connection with your soul and teaches the mind and body that they are not in control.
Stillness is great for receiving spiritual messages.
Stillness is great for learning to listen to your soul .
And stillness is amazing for tapping into divine connection.
There is great power in finding stillness. I do still believe that we all need to carve out some time for stillness because our world is so hectic and fast. So, I still stand by this, but I don’t think that every meditation practice has to be completely still.
The question is, what do you need? What makes you feel connected on a soul level?
My meditation practice is mostly based on this, tapping into my intuition and assessing what practice will best serve me that day. Some days it’s mantra, some days it’s a guided meditation, some days it’s listening to music in stillness, and some days it’s finding some flow while I sit.
I’ve had times where I’ve set goals to do one specific thing but in general, this is how I practice, from an intuitive place. Your soul knows what you need.
As you see here, a spiritual journey is an ever evolving one as you uncover different parts of yourself.
So I think this post is a little bit of an outpour of my recent spiritual practice and also hopefully has helped you answer the question of, “Do you need to be still when you meditate?”
Try out both stillness and movement and experience the different energies they unlock.
My current belief is that having both stillness and movement in your practice is beneficial. Be open to flow and change and be open to the constant exploration of your spiritual practice.
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