One of the best ways to meditate is in the bath. See, bathing is a fundamental act of hygiene, and most importantly, self-care. Aside from that, there’s more to it than that. Meditation while taking a bath is a convenient way to get into the habit.
Moreover, there’s no need to create a “specialized” meditation space and add it to your to-do list. Since bathing is part of your daily routine, the pressure is off.
Did you know about the mammalian diving reflex? This is when your body thinks it’s going for a swim, which makes your heart rate drop; in turn, it makes you feel more relaxed. In fact, this is an effective way to calm yourself down when you’re feeling a bit anxious. So, how do you meditate in the bath?
Set Time
Even if baths are part of your daily routine, you need to have the time if you’re adding meditation to it. Although there’s nothing wrong with doing it in the morning before you head out for work, it’s best to have enough time where you can spend as much time as you want without feeling rushed or pressured because you have other things to do.
Therefore, doing bath meditation is highly recommended to be done at the end of the day or during a time when you have no other obligations to take care of. This is when you can truly make the most out of the meditation practice. Setting a time to do bath meditation is important. So, choose the best time for you that you know you won’t feel rushed or pressured to do it.
Get Aromatherapy Bath Products
Your bath must be cleansing and relaxing. If you’re planning to do some meditation, it’s important you gather aromatherapy products that will relax you. Bath oils, candles, and many more are some of the things you can use. We recommend our Muscle Soak or a Detox Foot Soak you can use for your bath meditation.
Get In
Now, it’s time to get in the bath and relax. You can do your cleansing routines before you meditate, or you can dive right into it. Allow your breathing to become deeper. Let your belly rise and fall with each breath. Focus on your breathing and just allow yourself to relax.
Focus On Sensations
When you have your mind and body relaxed, maintain that state by focusing on the sensations in your body. Feel the warmth of the water on your skin, the pressure of the tub against your back, etc. When you find your thoughts drifting away, go back to those physical sensations. Or more easily, go back to your breath and work your way from there to go back to the sensations in your body.
Don’t worry when your thoughts drift away as this is normal. Keep in mind that meditation doesn’t need you to empty your mind; you only need to clear your mind by focusing on your breath and the bodily sensations and staying in the present moment.
Here are some tips to focus on these sensations when you’re soaked in the tub:
• Start with things you can see. Watch the water as it touches your skin. Or perhaps, you can watch the water as it slowly creates ripples as you move or stay still.
• Next, focus on what you can smell. Close your eyes and picture the different scents you can smell. Find your favorite scent and concentrate on it.
•Move on to what you can touch. Feel the sensation of the water against the skin. Take the time to notice how your body feels; are your muscles tensed? Consciously relax your muscles and let the tension drift away.
• Next, use your sense of hearing. What can you hear? Notice the sounds around you, such as the chirping of the birds, even the bang of a door, a phone ringing, etc.
• Last but not least, let yourself stay there for a while; enjoy the moment you’re in. Let yourself relax and stay in the moment as long as you want. Remember, there’s no rush.
Be In The Present Moment
Speaking of staying in the present moment, it is crucial that you ground yourself in the present moment. After all, that is the point of meditation. When you find your thoughts circling the past or future, acknowledge them, and bring them back to the present moment; but gently do this. You have to remember that you won’t be able to do this easily if you're new to meditation. It takes practice and some time for you to be able to revert your thoughts back to the present moment quickly. There’s no need to rush the process; simply showing up and committing to the practice is enough. Eventually, you’ll get there, and you will be happy you stuck to it because meditation is so rewarding and has plenty of benefits.
Meditation can take as little as three minutes or more. It all depends on you! So, no pressure at all. If it’s your first time to meditate, take it easy and don’t be too hard on yourself. Always remember, just like most things in the world, if you want to be good at something, it will take some time and effort before you can ease into it. Putting too much pressure on yourself will make your meditation practice feel like a chore; and that’s the easiest way to ruin the experience.
