What’s the best meditation style for your personality type? – Well+Good

Posted: August 10, 2017 at 11:44 pm


without comments

1/6

Everyone has their own fitness personality: Some people cant get enough of SoulCycle, while others seetapping it back to a Katy Perry song astheir idea of hell. Some are die-hard downward doggers, while others think yoga class is anhour-long nap. Workouts are not one-size-fits-alland, as it turns out, neither are meditation practices.

Saying you cant meditate is like going to the gym once, not [seeing results]immediately, and deciding working out isnt for you, says Lodro Rinzler, Chief Spiritual Officer of New York CitysMNDFL. Your exerciseoptions arent limited to the treadmill and elliptical, but it might take some trial and error before you find the best style for you.

There are more ways to meditate than there are to make an egg.

Suze Yalof Schwartz, founder of the Los Angeles-based meditation studio Unplug, is calling BS on anyone who claimstheyre too social, too talkative, or too distracted to be alone with their thoughts. If you can breathe, you can meditate, she insists. Meditation is something that most people dont realize theyre doing, all the time. (Like, maybe, during your manicure.)

Every meditation practice is based onfour main steps: focus, let go, think, repeat. But within this template, there are a seemingly endless number of methodsthat you can use to get your Zen on. There are more ways to meditate than there are to make an egg, Yalof Schwartz says, quoting a friend. Its kind of like a food court: Some days Im interested in Chinese [cuisine], other days Im interested in Italianor Japanese. I want to try it all, and it keeps me interested.

To get you started, Yalof Schwartz breaks down the ideal meditation to try, according to your personality.

2/6

People with open personalities enjoy new experiences, which means theyre probably the first ones to jump at the chance to try a virtual reality spin class or do sun salutations with farm animals.

For people who are really open, I think its fun to try a guided imagery class where you look at your future self or your ideal life, or meet your inner child, says Yalof Schwartz. An open persons insightful, imaginative vibes make them the perfect candidate for visualization, mainly because you never know what theyll come up with.

3/6

Conscientious personalities arethe ones who always remember to bring a water bottle to spin class(and arrive 10 minutes early). I think a mantra is a great way for them to start, because they can be kind of predictable and disciplined, says Yalof Schwartz.

Her personal favorite mantras to use areah when you inhale and hum when you exhale, or thinking let (inhale) go (exhale).

4/6

You can spot your extroverted friends from across the roomtheyre theones chatting it up in the juice bar after a workout class. Theyre also most often the people who claim to be unable to meditate because they get their energy from interacting with others. For someone whosmore extroverted, I think breathwork is a fun meditation to do, says Yalof Schwartz. [You practice]a more energized breath, and you feel like its much more active. She notes they also usually play music during these classes (although dance parties are not encouraged).

While its still technically a solo activity, Yalof Schwartz refers to breathworkas being very social with yourself. You spend the session breathing heavily and listening to music, so by the time the practice is over, youre exhaustedto the point where theres nothing you can do but just be.

5/6

Friendly, cooperative, and compassionate, agreeable people arethe ones willing to move their mats over to make room for you on the floor. I think mindfulness would be great for them, specifically a type called loving kindness, which is a practice where you show love to yourself and others, says Yalof Schwartz.

Heres how it works: First, you silently ask yourself questions like, May I be happy? May I be well? Then you think about another person and ask about their wellness and happiness. Agreeable people tend to be kind and sympathetic, so considering others duringtheir practice may help themfocusas long as they dont forget to think about themselves, too.

6/6

People who score highon the neuroticism scale may not be the most open to meditationbut they couldalso have the most to gain from it. Yalof Schwartz recommends a practice called tapping, which she describes as hypnosis without closing your eyes and acupuncture without the needles.

You tap these points [on your face and body], and what youre doing is youre changing your neuro path, she says. As you make contact, you replace negative thoughts or behaviors with positive ones. Yalof Schwartz says she once used tapping to stop eating sugary carbohydrates for eight days.Hows that for results?

Once youve found the meditation style you vibe with, find out how mastering it can help you succeed at work. Or take your mindfulness on the road with this walking meditation.

View post:

What's the best meditation style for your personality type? - Well+Good

Related Posts

Written by simmons |

August 10th, 2017 at 11:44 pm

Posted in Meditation




matomo tracker