What type of meditation is right for you? 6 variants to discover

People who convince themselves that meditation isn’t for them probably haven’t found the method that’s right for them. Because it’s not just a question of sitting in a lotus position and clearing the air, far from it.

Between immersion in nature, reflective walking or even aquatic sessions, there are (almost) as many forms of meditation as there are profiles of people likely to be interested. The proof with six atypical variants, one or the other of which may be made for you.

And hey, meditate, why in the end? Excellent question, which we answer with “7 keys to meditation”, the summer podcast of Le Vif Weekend. Either a small, lightweight tool to slip into your pocket. A meditation proposal, at your fingertips. Without setting the bar too high, it is not necessary. With a guide, not a guru, neurologist Steven Laureys. Ready to get started? Follow the leader!

The Afghan walk, to tame your stress

Life coach Joëlle Iland has dedicated her practice to supporting adults and teenagers who want to learn how to tame their stress. In particular, thanks to the Afghan march in full presence. Steep summits, hostile deserts… Throughout history, nomadic peoples around the world have developed methods of covering very long distances, in extreme conditions. Among them, the Afghan caravanners whose endurance was a mystery until a Westerner, Edouard Stiegler, noticed in the 1980s that they breathed and stuck their steps on their breath in a singular way. Amazed by the energizing potential of this walk, which he himself described as Afghan, he wrote down its rhythms and rules in a book that has since become the benchmark for the discipline, “Regeneration through Afghan walking”.

As Joëlle Iland points out, its benefits are multiple. It would thus allow in particular to “slow down and soothe your agitated mind in order to release tensions in your body while tasting the benefits of a bath in the middle of nature” but also to “trust your conscience and raise your head so as to stop mental rumination” without forgetting the possibility of “finding your rightful place being more aware of the best way of life for us in all benevolence”. An entire program.

Want to test?

Practice in Liège and remote coaching possible.

Shinrin Yoku or meditation in the forest

Born in Japan in the 80s, this meditative practice, now very popular in the Land of the Rising Sun, consists of taking a short walk in the forest every day. Also known in our latitudes as forest baths, it invites us to connect with nature through our five senses. How? As Dr. Qing Li, author of “Shinrin-Yoku, the art and science of forest bathing”, confided to our colleagues at Psychologies Magazine, it is a question of walking slowly, without any goal or telephone. or other camera. “Let your body guide you. Listen to where he wants to take you. Follow your sense of smell. And take your time. It doesn’t matter if you don’t get anywhere. You are not going anywhere. You savor the sounds, smells and sights of nature as you immerse yourself in the forest,” enjoins Qing Li.

Who reminds that “to find calm and relax, there is no universal solution – it varies from person to person. For some, it’s the sound of stream water flowing over pebbles or squirrels talking to each other on branches. For others it is the scent of the air or the sight of the bright green forest in early spring”. It is therefore a question of finding a place that suits you.

To find out more, discover his book devoted to the ways in which the forest heals us here.

Aquatic meditation

At the Crystaluz healing and healing center, between Namur and Charleroi, everything is done to offer energy care to people suffering from stress and overwork or going through personal or professional upheaval.

In particular, thanks to its swimming pool equipped with a unique “MagnaPool” filtration system based on magnesium associated with the natural properties of minerals that come directly from the ocean. Enriched in this way, the water then becomes a “thermal cure”, which is accompanied, among other things, by an underwater sound system, designed to resonate in our bodies. As the centre’s team points out, “water, at the border between the physical and metaphysical worlds, allows us to open the doors to our inner dimensions and to seek out the treasures that are hidden deep within us”. Indeed, aquatic meditation would bring us back to the period of gestation, and would offer people who are receptive to it (and who feel the need for it) a form of rebirth.

More information on https://www.crystaluz.be.

We follow the sacred path of water © Unsplash – Jon Flobrant

The song of mindfulness

If meditation is traditionally associated with silence, or with a few “om”s launched in an inhabited air, it is however possible to practice chanting meditation. Detailed by musicologist and music therapist Philippe Barraqué in a book dedicated to him, this method “invites you to explore your deep resonances, correct your emotional dissonances and soothe your suffering”. “Through the practice of spontaneous sounds associated with meditation, visualization and psycho-corporal techniques, the song of mindfulness opens you to vast states of inner plenitude and relaxation” further assures the one who is the author of numerous reference methods on well-being and the power to heal oneself.

The promise? “Whatever the intensity of the hardships you go through, the challenges and the changes, the song of mindfulness inscribes them in the present moment, in the impermanence which is at the heart of the nature of being. You thus have a practical tool which promotes your rebirth by immersion in your inner chants”. Without false notes…

“The Song of Mindfulness” by Philippe Barraqué is available here.

Tonglen meditation to free yourself from suffering

Here, neither walk nor vocalizations but the use of the breath to practice what is also qualified as altruistic meditation or meditation of compassion. In practice, as explained Oh my buddha, “we absorb the pain of others on an inspiration, and we send vibrations and thoughts of healing on our breath”. Or “the opposite of what we tend to do, especially when we suffer ourselves”.

And yet, as the center for Buddhist studies and meditation Dhagpo Brussels teaches, “a good understanding of the meaning of this deep meditation, accompanied by the right training, makes it possible to develop authentic compassion and to put it into practice. work on a daily basis”.

Want to get started? Appointment here.

Zentangle, when drawing allows you to reconnect with yourself

Finally, if the prospect of indulging in an activity that seems too passive puts you off, know that you can also come to meditation through Zentangle. The principle: a repetition of geometric or imaginary patterns in a defined space, mandala style, with the difference that contrary to what its name suggests, we draw here in a square, connected to other squares also filled with patterns. on a white sheet.

At the origin of the process are two American artists, Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts, who realized the relaxation that the execution of repetitive patterns gave them, and formalized it by calling it Zentangle, whose “tangle” does not therefore does not come from “rectangle” but from English to designate an entanglement.

To discover the couple’s journey and learn about Zentangle, go to on their website.

And if you want to start meditating gently, don’t miss listening to “7 keys to meditation”, the summer podcast of Le Vif Weekend. Very concretely, with Professor Steven Laureys, in a peaceful conversation, we draw some guidelines that can take the place of initiation. And at the end of each episode, we offer you an exercise, just to put everything into practice. It’s your turn.

We wish to say thanks to the writer of this post for this remarkable content

What type of meditation is right for you? 6 variants to discover


You can find our social media profiles here and other pages on related topics here.https://nimblespirit.com/related-pages/