Many of us think of meditation as sitting cross-legged and silent for a long period of time. But you can gain the many important benefits of meditation through your everyday activities—in stillness or in movement.


In fact, the most mundane actions can be the best ones to practice mindfulness meditation—where you focus on being in the "here and now," essentially sharpening your brain by training it to be more attentive.


The Huffington Post, via meditation app Headspace, highlights a few times you can try meditation in action, including while you're: cleaning, showering, cooking, or walking.

In all examples, the technique is to savor every moment of what you're doing instead of letting your mind wander (as it naturally wants to). For example, in mindful dishwashing (which is "like bathing a baby Buddha"), Patrick Groneman writes:

Begin washing the dishes — one at a time. Choose less oily dishes first, so the water stays cleaner longer. As you rinse each dish, give it a brief inspection to make sure oils and food residues have been thoroughly removed, then place gently into the drainboard. Repeat, and adjust dish placement in the drain board along the way as needed. If you notice you are lost in thought, just gently notice that, and come back to the dishwashing. Just this dish, these feelings, these smells and sounds. [emphasis added]


Rinse and repeat.

How to Meditate Without Meditating At All | Huffington Post

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