Match Your Meditation to Your Mood

There’s more than one way to meditate. Different traditions have different practices. Most people think that Vipassana is focused on the breath. That’s an excellent meditation and the breath is handy and dependable for most of us. But it is only one of many objects of concentration the Buddha recommended. We might default to the breath, but it’s good to know that there are other options.

Whatever the object of our attention, the purpose is to cultivate mindfulness that leads to insight and understanding.  Sounds great!  But it’s easier said than done due to the universal human challenges of desire, ill-will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry, and doubt in our ability to meditate. Sound familiar? Of course, we all experience them. The Buddha called these the Five Hindrances (See list at the end of this post). And he didn’t leave us hanging but prescribed antidote objects to focus on to help dissolve them. I’ll share some of these objects here.

Elements
If we feel ungrounded or worried, we might find relief by focusing on the earth element. For example, the felt sense of the earth supporting us as we sit, lie, stand, or walk. Or, with eyes open, we might focus on a rock, another natural solid object, a mountain, or a photo of a mountain.

For those with a special place to meditate, creating a small collection of elemental objects to choose from could be helpful. One of those objects could be a candle. If we feel lethargic, we might focus on a flame, letting it inspire the fire element within us, all that energy and synaptic activity.

Focusing on water may bring a sense of clarification. An awareness of the water in the body is always available to us. But we could fill a bowl with water, stare at a photo of a waterfall or river, or go to a restful spot at the edge of a natural water source. (Many people take long showers for emotional release, but I recommend meditation with a less negative impact on the environment.)

And, of course, focusing on air, the breath, and the felt sense of air on our skin, walking outside on a windy day, can be enlivening and offer a sense of intrinsic interconnection with all life.

In Buddhism, there is a fifth element of mind. Awareness of the mind’s role in translating all the sensory experiences is another place to rest our attention. We can see how an experience gets labeled and how memories, opinions, etc. (papancha) immediately start cluttering up the place until we redirect our attention to the object of our focus again. And again.

These elements aren’t the only options we can observe.

The Four Brahma Viharas
There are also the Four Brahma Viharas (heavenly abodes) of Metta, lovingkindness; Karuna, compassion; Mudita, sympathetic joy; and Upekkha, equanimity. 

Metta meditation is accessing and offering infinite lovingkindness to ourselves, others, and all beings. Done regularly, this practice can deepen self-acceptance, ease anger, and activate a sense of universal love.

A meditation on Karuna, compassion, beginning with self-compassion might help us if we struggle with shame, regret, or lack of self-worth. It could be combined with the image of a river running into the ocean, and repeating the words ‘The ocean refuses no river.’ Here’s a video that captures its spirit. (It’s a Sufi chant with a reggae beat!)

Mudita, sympathetic joy, is valuable when feeling envy. We might choose to bring to mind someone it’s easy to be happy for, like a baby. It’s easy to share their laughter and delight. We can feel the joy without ‘having it for ourselves’. Then we might see if we can grow that spacious joyful feeling to include whomever we envy. This leads to a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of all life and helps to alleviate the sense of isolation and separateness.
(Read more on Mudita)

And Upekkha, equanimity, is useful when we feel overwhelmed and out of balance. This could be a walking meditation slowed to the pace we can sense every step completely. (Read more on Upekkha)

Already, we have identified eight different objects we can focus on! Add in the four positions the Buddha recommended for meditation: sitting, standing, walking, and lying down, and we have even more options. If that is overwhelming, just return to the natural breath, that sweet simple homecoming. Ahhhhh!

But if you want to try out this exploration in your personal practice, first check in with what’s going on right now — not the story but the felt sense, name the Hindrance if one is noticeable — and find the focus that will address it most effectively. It might be the breath, but let it be a choice!

PLEASE NOTE: No meditation is a replacement for psychiatric help. If you feel desperate, deeply depressed, or destructive, please seek help from a qualified professional.