What’s your preferred meditation practice?
73% prefer seated meditation, while 5% like walking meditation best, and 10% like the body scan best. 12% would rather use other meditation methods, including running, breathing exercises, or lying down.
Do you own a meditation cushion and/or bench?
How often do you meditate?
62% of survey participants meditate at least once per day, 12% meditate every other day, and 12% once or twice a week. The remaining 14% do so occasionally or have never meditated.
Do you meditate regularly?
Do you encourage others to meditate?
85% of participants recommend that others try meditation. Maybe the other 15% see it as something that’s better to discover for yourself.
Have you ever received instruction in a mindfulness technique?
What’s your favorite place to meditate?
- “When weather permits, I love to meditate in the garden; otherwise, my bedroom, where I have a dedicated yoga and meditation space.”
- “In church.”
- “At a mosque.”
- “At a meditation center.”
- “In a temple.”
- “In a rocking chair in my bedroom.”
- “On the beach.”
- “In a hot bubble bath, with candlelight and incense burning.”
- “I am in my car 90% of the time, so mostly in the car.”
- “In bed, before getting up for the day.”
- “During yoga class.”
- “Outside of school, waiting for my children to finish for the day.”
- “In the forest preserve by my home. If I am feeling anxious, I like to meditate under the tree. If I am feeling sad, I like to meditate in a wide-open field—it makes me feel so alive!”
- “My La-Z-Boy recliner in the living room.”
Do you use a meditation app?
Aside from sitting meditation, where and when do you most apply mindfulness in your daily life?
- “During my work day as a therapist.”
- “To deal with pain.”
- “Taking mindful pauses, especially when I’m outdoors. I stop what I’m doing, notice what’s around me, try to tune in to something like a bird call or the wind, and just appreciate that for a moment or two.”
- “Being more present with my children and husband. Mindfulness has also helped me decompress in Chicago traffic and in the grocery store!”
- “When dealing with challenging people.”
- “In my relationship with my son, who is severely impacted by autism, and with my 5th-grade students— it helps me learn who they really are.”
- “Before bed to help me sleep.”
- “In the evening, focusing on incidents or experiences to feel grateful for each day.”
- “Dealing with depression and anxiety.”
- “When I’m traveling, so I don’t miss the unique details around me!”
Do you have a personal meditation instructor?
This article appeared in the April 2018 issue of Mindful magazine.
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Mindful’s Top 10 Guided Practices of 2017
