Dynamic meditation is a kind of practice that involves the movement of our body during meditation. Usually, meditation is always thought of as – where a person has to be in a calm environment and sit still in a steady pose. However, dynamic meditation is quite different. An Indian spiritual leader started it by the name of Osho.
It is also called the Osho Dynamic meditation. The purpose of this kind of meditation was to create a movement in the stagnant energy and break any conditioned patterns in the mind or body. When we talk about the move, it means chaotic breathing, which does not follow any way or rhythm. Also, shouting or wild movements are included. Dynamic meditation can take up to an hour.
According to Osho, the conventional methods of meditation in this fast-paced world is extremely difficult. He believed that movement would allow you to find a quiet point inside. Whereas sitting quietly and meditating would make the person more susceptible to chaos – external or internal factors.
Stages of Dynamic meditation:
- The first stage is to breathe chaotically through the nose for about 10 minutes. Along with breathing, your body can move naturally. The breathing needs to be deep, fast, and intense, with no good pattern or rhythm. The inhalation will be taken care of naturally by the body. It would help if you concentrated on the exhalation. The breath should move properly and deep in the lungs. It would help if you did this as fast as possible until you become one with the breathing. Your body movements can be used to build up energy levels.
- Then for the next 10 minutes, start intense sound and movement. Do not hold back at all. Let your body take the lead. Go mad – cry, shout, scream out, shake, kick, swing, jump chant, or throw yourself around. Do not let your mind interfere.
- Lift your arms, jump, chant a mantra – ‘hoo hoo hoo’ for the next 10 minutes. Every time you jump and land on the ground, let the sounds go deep into your body. It would help if you exhausted yourself.
- Then for the next 15 minutes, freeze and stay in that position. Stop yourself in whatever position you are. Just observe the way the energy dissipates and flows. It would be best if you were a witness to what is going on.
- For the next 15 minutes, listen to music and move to its tune.
This kind of dynamic meditation lasts for an hour with the above five stages. You need to keep your eyes closed through the steps. If you find that difficult, a blindfold can be used. It can be done alone or in a group. It is said that it would be more beneficial in a group.
In Dynamic meditation, one needs to be conscious and completely alert. It would be best if you were a witness for each step:
- Breathing
- Catharsis
- Mantra – Hoo
It is easy for a person to get lost. One needs to take care and not get lost in the process. During the breathing process, you may get lost and become one with the sensation. But then the entire point of the exercise would be lost. You need to breathe fast; you need to breathe deep, give it your total energy, and, at the same time, continue to be a witness.
You need to look at the whole process like it is happening to someone else—the process of witnessing needs to be done in three steps. And in the fourth one, you need to be completely frozen and inactive. It is here that the alertness would be at its peak.
Variations in Dynamic meditation:
At times you may have space constraints or noise constraints. Even then, dynamic meditation can be practiced with some variations. The same meditation can be done silently. Do not throw out sounds; instead, the catharsis can be done only through body movements. The third stage, which involves the mantra ‘hoo,’ can be done silently within ourselves, while the fifth stage can be a dance with expressions.
Benefits of Dynamic meditation:
Many people have found dynamic meditation extremely beneficial, and it is slowly gaining popularity in this modern and fast-paced world.
- Reduces stress – Dynamic meditation has been clinically shown to bring down emotional and physical stress. This is something that is badly needed by most people in this fast-paced society. It is a great way to wind down and to feel more relaxed or calm. Our day to day lives bring in a lot of tension and stress, and dynamic meditation can help you curb that.
- Calorie burns – In this day and age, everyone knows the importance of being healthy, eating right, and exercising. Many go to gyms or work out at home to reduce or maintain their weight. Now, since dynamic meditation needs the person to move around and maintain difficult positions, it can also be a weight loss routine or a calorie-burning method. Naturally, as compared to other exercises like running or gym exercises, it may not burn as many calories. However, it is still a good alternative and is extremely useful.
- Immune system booster – Another great benefit of dynamic meditation is the strengthening of the immune system. A meditation routine of this kind can be an excellent chance for your lifestyle and habits.
- Consistency – Any exercise regime or practice needs to be done consistently. The same goes for dynamic meditation. A habit like this can grow and influence other areas of your life. Right consistency in dynamic meditation can make you apply the same logic and rules towards relationships, work, etc.
- Cardiovascular health – We all know how heart disease has been increasing and affecting several lives. A drastic change in lifestyles, diets, and habits needs to be looked into. Regular dynamic meditation also has been shown to bring about good heart health and general wellness.
- Improvement in focus – Any meditation helps you in improving your focus and energy levels.
Benefits of breathing step – The very first stage of dynamic meditation involves chaotic and fast breathing. This, in itself, is a potent technique. This technique has several benefits:
- Changes your mind and breathing – This kind of non-rhythmic breathing breaks your typical pattern. This, in turn, brings a related shift in our minds. For example, you may breathe in the usual way but actually, be in an angry mood. On the contrary, if you are angry and slow your breathing, you can change your mindset and be pacified. Thus, chaotic breathing can bring in a change in the thinking pattern and make you create better habits and more space in your mind.
- Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide – Since dynamic meditation involves breathing in and out fast with more importance on the exhalation, this allows you to empty your lungs. When we breathe shallow, this does not happen. Hence deep or fast breathing lets you change the ratio of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body. Some studies have shown that breathing through the nose enhances the uptake of oxygen from 5 to 15%.
- Expands lung capacity – when we lead a sedentary lifestyle, our breathing can be limited to the lung’s upper parts called chest breathing. Those who start with the dynamic meditation initially might find it difficult. But eventually, as the diaphragm pushes for more air, airways and capillaries expand, and the lung capacity also increases. This lets you take in more oxygen and give out more carbon dioxide. This ultimately means better health and energy.
- This high oxygen level also, in turn, means an alkaline environment in the tissues and blood. This is important for overall well-being compared to when acidic levels can mean a predisposition to low energies and illness.
- High oxygen levels also lead to high alertness.
- Purification of mind and body – Over time and with mental or physical diseases, toxins get collected in our body. Dynamic meditation lets your mind get more sharp, clear, as well as focused. Deep breathing techniques help in reversing an acidic environment, thus purifying the mind and body.
Benefits of the jumping step – This step is not just ordinary jumping. It is a seamless process where each step works in proper coordination and continuity.
- This jumping step also helps in enhancing the immune system. It is a great way to detoxify and boost one’s immunity as it helps in stimulating the lymphatic system.
- While the breathing step increases the ratio of the oxygen taken in; the jumping stage helps the heart to pump this oxygen more efficiently. This, in turn, enhances our cardiovascular system and brings an increase in energy levels.
- This jumping also helps in the skeletal system. Such kind of weight-bearing exercises help increase bone mass. This is because of the increase in G-force.
