Water Meditation: Washing Away the Stress
Returning to this ancient energy practice called Water Meditation, we return to a natural state–formless, flowing, powerful, calm, clear, and pure. And coincidentally or not, our natural state happens to reflect the same qualities of this sacred substance itself.
Water appears throughout many spiritual traditions, revered and regarded as holy. It’s a core theme of Taoism where water meditation is used as a vehicle to transport us back to our essence.
What is Water Meditation
It is possible that water as a style of meditation is so appealing because deep down we yearn to be more like it. Its effects are so powerful that the mere sight, sound, or touch of it alone is enough to bring us into a peaceful state.
After all, water makes up over half of who we are. The average human adult is made up of about 50-65 percent of it (even more as an infant). The very rock which we sit upon is 71 percent water. There is no question that this fundamental-to-life substance is deeply connected to us all.
Across cultures and religions, the element of water is used as an analogy for the sacred – signifying purity, clarity, and calmness.
In Christianity, water is used in baptism to symbolize purification; a rebirth of a new man/woman in Christ.
In Yoruba Herbology, individuals seek to bring themselves into alignment through herbs, spiritual baths, righteous living, and self development.
As well as purifying, in Islamic culture water is seen as life-giving and sustaining. The act of giving water to another living thing is considered noble and greatly rewarded.
In the Shinto religions of Japan, water is used for purification rituals; such as standing under cold waterfalls in the forest. Shinto practitioners view water as a symbol for the flow of life.
Hindus and other religions of India view water in a similar light. In these cultures, it’s seen as a method for purification and the washing away of sin, with the devout flocking to holy rivers en masse to bathe.
Water is an occurring theme in Zen Buddhism, possibly because of its close ties to Taoism. Zen’s founder, Dogen, was known to treat water as precious; making sure to never waste a drop and often using it as a metaphor in his teachings.
In building your Water Rituals, keep this in mind…
Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.
Try to imagine the vast capabilities of water. The simple idea that there is nearly always a way for it to get through, to continue to flow, to flow in and out of anything and everything.
Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend. - Bruce Lee
How Does The Water Meditation Work?
In Yoruba Bath Healing, water meditation is done by stilling the mind and becoming internally aware. It’s an energy-based meditation which uses awareness to wash away what is energetically stuck inside of our bodies. In water meditation we awaken our chi (qi, or life-force energy), allowing it to flow in a healthy manner.
The constriction of chi is responsible for many health problems which weaken our organs and cause pain in our bodies. Through regular practice, we can develop optimal health.
The sweetness of it all may lie in the fact that a water meditation practice is transferable from off of our meditation mats and into our daily lives. This manifests as the ability to flow with what is and to dissolve whatever is placed on our path with relative ease.
Through a regularly maintained water meditation practice we are able to:
Release traumas (both mental and physical).
Integrate body, mind, and soul.
Calm the mind.
Relieve stress.
Have more energy.
Promote inner mastery.
Clear out ailments in the body.
Relax our nervous system.
Reverse/slow down the aging process.
Open up to life.
Become more adaptable.
Become more productive.
Why Water Meditation?
Practicing water meditation is fairly simple. Much like other meditations, the water method helps with improving focus, concentration, and fostering healthy mental states. A bonus of water meditation is that it also connects us to our body and the life-force energy inside of it. Compared to other meditations; the water method leaves us feeling healthier, more revitalized, and full of energy.
Water Meditation
To practice water meditation we can either sit or stand; preferably in a quiet, comfortable place.
