Meditation indoors that doesn't involve sitting or lying down?

February 7, 2023 4:11 AM

I want to build a meditation habit, but I sit too much in my life and don't want to sit even more. What are some meditation techniques (or instruction videos) that can be done indoors in an apartment and that involve standing or physical movement? Especially short ones, like 5-10 minutes.

I have done some different kinds of practices before in Buddhist settings, like silent meditation and chanting. I could swear I did an indoor walking meditation that was like very slow pacing, but I don't remember the details.

It also just hit me that I'm probably describing yoga and tai chi. I've tried both of those before and I remember enjoying them.

posted by cadge to Health & Fitness (8 answers total)

Buddhist monks do takuhatsu, which is a ritualised walking meditation as they collect alms through a town. Here's a video about walking meditation in general.

Meditation can be practiced while doing many activities - sweeping, doing dishes, etc. The important thing is to stay fully focused on the present moment, to turn each movement into a deliberate, conscious gesture. Yoga and Tai chi are excellent examples of this!
posted by ananci at 4:27 AM on February 7, 2023 [5 favorites]

I really appreciate outdoor walking meditations, but in looking for those, I have found a few indoor ones. Here's a free one on Insight Timer.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:45 AM on February 7, 2023 [3 favorites]

Sweeping Changes is a delightful book about housekeeping as meditation practice.
posted by FencingGal at 4:46 AM on February 7, 2023 [5 favorites]

I do the Qi Gong 18 movements which you can do in about 10 mins, or slower for longer. I really appreciate the mediation's movements, especially when I can do them outside.
posted by london explorer girl at 5:02 AM on February 7, 2023 [6 favorites]

Walking the Labyrinth. Generally and outdoor activity, but you can get indoor mats with the patter.
posted by Dotty at 5:38 AM on February 7, 2023 [2 favorites]

I have recently been getting a lot of mileage out of doing the pretty standard mindfulness meditation tracks like those on headspace, and just ignoring the instructions to sit down if I don't feel like it. I realized I had a lot of resistance to the idea of sitting down and "meditating" but close to no resistance to "just listening to the meditation track" while walking around the neighborhood or doing dishes or yoga poses or whatever. Sometimes halfway through I now will get to a point where sitting down feels like the right move, but not always.

I figure ignoring the instructions means I may not be getting the *maximum* benefit from meditating the right way(?), but probably more than zero.
posted by itsatextfile at 6:18 AM on February 7, 2023

I use the Healthy Minds app (it’s free) and you can choose between a seated or active meditation, as well as the duration, for each session. The prompts are customized for the style you’ve chosen.
posted by fairfax at 6:25 AM on February 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

Yoga is this for me, sometimes. Making a deliberate effort to focus on my breath and connecting it with each movement (sun salutations is a great place to start for structured "breath + move" type of practice). When thoughts drift, bring your focus back to the mat, your breath, and your body movements. I'm sure searching the Internet for "meditative yoga" or "yoga meditation" would get you a ton of results. Great question and I'll be trying some of these other ideas!
posted by carlypennylane at 8:20 AM on February 7, 2023 [1 favorite]