This is Part 3 of a 3-part Series: The Non-negotiables of a Breakroom.

Creating a modern, inviting breakroom for employees is essential for maintaining an efficient, productive workplace. You first have to ask yourself, what is the point of a breakroom?  A break room is a designated area where employees can take a break from their daily tasks. It is a place where they can socialize with co-workers and relax. A break room allows workers to re-energize and refresh. It can also be used as a space to collaborate, share ideas, and work on projects together.

In talking with some of the experts in the field, there seems to be 3 “must have” aspects to consider when you are creating a break room that employees will love and appreciate. 

Fun

The more serious your work is, the more you need to have fun on your breaks. 

• A great way to unwind and destress is to play games. Pool tables, air hockey, darts and other interactive games can add a greater physical element to sideline stress and help employees regain focus.  
• If space is limited, consider having a community puzzle everyone can work on, or a community white board where a trivia question is posed or a story is started and each person adds a word.
• Decorations for the season, events and holidays; a bulletin board with an employee highlight of the month: favorite foods, pets, family, hobbies.

Functional

Quick – what are the top three things you think when you hear the words “take a break”? 

• Put your feet up and relax
• Have a cup of exceptional, fresh coffee
• Grab a snack or some lunch

If your break room allows for those three, you have yourself a functional break room.  But don’t stop there!  There’s coffee… and then there’s coffee. Is your break room truly a place where people can go to relax, or are there TVs blaring & fluorescent lights glaring? Are the fridge, microwave, and coffee pot clean?  Is it a place where people can enjoy their lunch, helping your employees to “rest & digest”?  Your answers to these questions will help you determine if your break room is serving its intended purpose or not.  
At garten, visual merchandising is a cornerstone of our brand experience. We’ve built our experience to influence healthy and productive decisions, while making it a place where your team can connect, refuel, and relax. We always use the best materials, natural elements, varied textures and eye-catching pieces.  Let us know how we can help you design a functional break room that ticks all the boxes!

reFreshing

Ultimately, if you are not walking away from your break feeling refreshed and ready for another round of work, then there is room for improvement.  We at garten put the emphasis on “fresh”.  You can’t “re” fresh without it.  And, when we think fresh, we think of food.  You have to ask yourself if the snacks available in the break room are reflecting this ideal.  When your employees eat from the food that is available, will they tank 90 minutes later?  Will their blood sugar crash from the rushed energy buzz they get from over-processed, sugar high carbs?  Or will they stay steady through the afternoon by having a balance of healthy carbs, good fat, and high quality protein?

When we asked, “What are ‘must-haves’ in a Fun, reFreshing, and Functional break room?”, the answer was fresh healthy food providing energy to get through the day.  But variety is also key, keeping the selection fresh and seasonal as well, with great merchandising to draw the eye in and options that are healthier overall.  That’s why, at garten, we are committed to providing the best training for our partners that aligns with the “look and feel” of the vision of the program through 3 different avenues:

1. In-Office Kitchen: One solution for offering employees healthy food during work hours is to have an in-office kitchen. This kitchen can be equipped with a refrigerator, microwave, and other appliances that allow employees to prepare their own meals. Having an in-office kitchen also allows for the implementation of a company-wide initiative to reduce processed and unhealthy food options.
2. Catered Meals: Another solution is to offer catered meals for employees during work hours. Garten works with local catering companies that specialize in healthy and nutritious meals. This option can be especially beneficial for companies that have a high employee turnover rate or for those who have employees that work long hours.
3. Employee Education: A third solution is to offer employee education on healthy eating. This can be done through our self-serve garten Experiences platform with workshops, seminars, or online resources. By educating employees on the importance of healthy eating and providing them with the tools and resources they need to make healthier food choices, companies can create a culture of health and wellness.  From a recent nutrition class held, “Janine was well knowledgeable about nutrition and Nuance employees had wonderful feedback!”. 

Overall, by providing employees with these non-negotiable resources, companies can improve employee productivity, reduce absenteeism, and promote a culture of health and wellness. It’s important to remember that different solutions will work better for different companies and it’s important to find the right combination of solutions that work best for your organization and employees.  Let us know how we can help!

The post State-of-the-art Break Rooms – Part 3 – The Non-negotiables of a Breakroom appeared first on garten.

This is Part 1 of a 3-part Series: The Sensible Breakroom.

Break rooms are an essential part of any workplace, allowing employees to take a break and de-stress. But what if you could make them even better? By designing a break room that uses all five senses, as well as the holistic approach to mind, body and environment, you can create a truly unique and multi-sensory environment that boosts productivity and wellbeing in the workplace.
Designing a break room that incorporates all five senses doesn’t have to be difficult.

Here are some tips to get you started:

Sights

Create an inviting environment with natural light and colors that stimulate the senses. 

• Windows & skylights are a plus, but you may be stuck working with what you’ve got.  So, instead of bright fluorescents, have lamps around with soft, ambient lighting. 
  
• You can also add wall hangings and decorations to personalize the space.
  
• Real plants (succulents are easy to keep alive!), and rotating artwork (especially done by employees) can create a fun creative space.

Smells

Incorporate natural scents like lavender, lemon or vanilla to soothe the senses and promote relaxation.  Be careful of using synthetic fragrances, as some are sensitive to those. 

• Open the window if possible to let in fresh air.  Bringing in an air purifier will help keep things fresh as well. 
  
• Try this for getting rid of burnt popcorn smell in microwaves: make a solution of 1 cup of water with 1 tablespoon of either lemon juice or vinegar in a microwave-safe container. Heat for 2-5 minutes, then wipe clean.
  
• Consider having an aromatherapy area, with blends used to de-stress, energize, or promote emotional health.  Have a small jar for each blend (labeled clearly).  Apply a drop or two of the oil blends on some cotton balls and till the container with them.  Encourage employees to take the cotton balls back to their desks for quick little pick ups throughout the day.

Touch

Make sure the furniture and amenities are comfortable and cozy, so that employees can really relax and recharge.  

• Provide footstools so employees can relieve tension in legs and low back
  
• Get a couple of massage pads that can be placed on the back of chairs
  
• Provide tactile activities that help relieve stress: adult coloring, clay or kinetic sand, stress balls, playing cards, etc. 

Sound

Create a calming atmosphere with low-level background music or natural sounds like birds chirping.  In addition:

• Provide headphones that offer noise canceling so employees can get away from sounds and take a moment in silence for meditation and relaxation. 
  
• Bring in a small counter or table top water feature to not only increase visual relaxation but audible as well. 
  
• Great conversations & laughter is always welcome – have a question or joke of the day posted on the bulletin board that helps people get to know each other and stimulate conversation.  Conversation cards on the tables can also be a fun way to interact with team members and associates. 

Taste

Of all the improvements you can make in your breakroom, this is the most important as it will impact your employees for hours to come.  Provide refreshments and snacks that are easy to access and enjoyable to eat. This can range from teas and coffees to healthy snacks and treats.  Making sure the offerings you have are intentional to give your workers the energy they need to get through the day, to handle the stress that comes with their workload, and to have brains ready to be creative and productive. 

• Good Fats – As noted by the NIH, “The human brain is nearly 60 percent fat. We’ve learned in recent years that fatty acids are among the most crucial molecules that determine your brain’s integrity and ability to perform.”  It is also important for us to avoid oils that were once thought of as “healthy”, but studies are showing they may cause scarring of the arterial wall.  Healthy Nuts, seeds and avocados as snacks are a great way to get this important macronutrient during the work day. 
  
• Good Carbs – yes!  We need carbs for energy, but we have to have the right ones at our fingertips.  When our bodies are tanking, we will start to crave the high carb snack that is the most convenient.  The healthiest sources of carbohydrates—unprocessed or minimally processed whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans—promote good health by delivering vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a host of important phytonutrients. (Harvard School of Public Health)
  
• Good Protein – the building blocks of endurance and strength. Supplying healthy snack power packed with protein will help employees feel nourished and ready to handle the workload ahead of them. If they are easy to grab, all the better.  Think hummus and veggie packs, cheese sticks, jerky, and yogurt.

Why not just let the employee bring in their own lunch or snacks?  Because you care (or you wouldn’t have read this far in the article… )  But, don’t feel like you have to do the heavy lifting yourself!  Companies like garten have been managing the staff break room for years, and are highly skilled at taking the guesswork out of what to provide as well as staying within budget.

The Sensible Solution

By incorporating all five senses in your break room, you can create a truly unique and multi-sensory environment that helps to promote productivity and wellbeing for your employees. With the right design and a few simple touches, you can make your break room the perfect place to step away from the office and recharge.  Take a moment to look around your breakroom – which of the 5 senses are the most in need of improvement?  What one small addition can you make today?

Next up: what are the non-negotiables in a breakroom atmosphere?

The post State-of-the-art Break Rooms – Part 2 – The Sensible Breakroom appeared first on garten.

This is Part 1 of a 3-part Series: Break Rooms as Art.

Can a breakroom actually be a thing of beauty?  With an emphatic yes, it is more than possible, it is a non-negotiable.  Here is why:

Employees feel they are valued like a Monalisa 

While 9 out of 10 executives may think their employees feel cared for, the truth is, only 56% employees believe this to be true.  This trend can be reversed with careful consideration of the employee’s needs in a breakroom. 

Morale is boosted and corporate culture is improved

Like any art enthusiast will tell you, it’s all about culture.  Having a place to go to let off steam, create a sense of community, remove a tense vibe and encourage mental breaks will help employees avoid burnout. 

The break room becomes a hub for interaction and collaboration

A creative space will breed creativity and fresh thoughts will brew over fresh coffee.  Make a place where the mind can relax and productivity will flow.  People will gather and share a meal as well as a great idea. 

Employees make more of their break time by staying on-site

As Forbes put it, “Chaining yourself to a desk or scarfing down your lunch in your cubicle isn’t a recipe for success – it’s a recipe for disaster.”  We agree! And for those going out to lunch, there is not much of a break when it’s all said and done.  Creating a great space to relax and eat allows your employees to enjoy more of their break time in a space that shows they are appreciated. 

An impressive meeting space is created for clients and guests

We hear this kind of feedback at garten.  “Other locations come to our site and comment in awe about the variety of healthy snacks they see”, said one manager.  He mentioned that his team is loving the variety that is offered through garten Kitchen. 

In addition to ample choices of high quality, nutritious food, we make sure your break rooms are beautifully stimulating spaces to gather. And then…

Your break room becomes a great selling feature for recruiting new talent

Potential employees would be wise to look for the 3 B’s when assessing a company’s culture and employee value:

Bathroom

How the employee bathroom is maintained says A LOT about how much an employee is valued by the company. 

The Boss’ Office

How does it compare to the general workspace?  If there is a big difference (windows vs. nothing but fluorescent lights), it is sending a message about whether employees are considered to be important contributors, or just cogs in the wheel. 

The Break Room

Does the break room welcome you, inviting you to re-energize and reconnect?  Is it well designed, stocked and maintained? Like a good work of art, does it attract and draw you in through all 5 of your senses?  In part 2 of this series we will go over what it means to have a “sensible” breakroom, including a tip sheet to help you achieve the break room of your dreams. 

The post State-of-the-art Break Rooms – Part 1 – Break Rooms as Art appeared first on garten.

You may have noticed that employees now place a different value on unique perks more than ever before. These combined with a strong and positive company culture can help strengthen employee engagement, as well as sway the decision of top talent. Did you know employee engagement isn’t just about productivity and attendance? Think of employee engagement more like you might if you were thinking about customer engagement – it’s about loyalty and referrals.

How Likely Are Your Employees To Refer You As An Employer?

If you were able to answer positively to that – awesome, pat yourself on the back! If not, does it go beyond culture – are you falling behind current benefit expectations or workplace trends?

With a large number of startups and high-energy tech companies expecting a lot from their teams, it’s time for leaders in these companies to also see their companies as communities with a shared purpose. Gone from these types of companies are the mindset of simply being a cog in the mechanism and working your job from 9-5. Each employee now shares in the ownership of success and should, in such respect, reap the benefits of that shared camaraderie and responsibility.

It’s a Lifestyle

With the startup mentality growing even among non-startups, companies have to start looking at perks and benefits that will motivate employees and keep them feeling great about the community they are striving to build. Employees now rate perks that help them with their wellness goals or save them time with traditionally outside work activities, as well as align with their personal priorities, much higher than financial and health care benefits alone.

According to one study, free snacks alone can improve job satisfaction by more than 10%. Simply focusing on what might help make employees happy and reduce stress goes a long way towards reciprocating a dedication back to your staff. So what are some of those unique benefits?

Four Categories To Show You Care

Free Food:

1. Free snacks, drinks, and coffee
   Keeping your team fueled with healthy foods makes them feel not only appreciated but more productive. They no longer have to leave the office to recharge, fork out funds from their own hard-earned money to get great tasting and good-for-them snacks or afternoon pick-me-ups – so it saves them time and money while making them happy.
2. Catered lunches
   Who doesn’t love free lunch? Turn lunch into community gatherings – offer food that satisfies their health goals and cravings.
3. Paid dinner when working late
   When employees have to put in extra hours to get things done, make sure they stay on the top of their game by encouraging them to order in a reimbursable dinner.
4. Happy hour events
   Turn happy hours into onsite events – offer a setting that teams feel comfortable, welcomed, and can enjoy some down-time with other community members.

Family-Focused Benefits Including Furry Family Members:

5. Generous paid parental leave
   By aligning perks with your team’s priorities they will feel that you truly understand and appreciate them. Beyond extended leave, some companies are offering adoption and fertility benefits as well.
6. Pet-friendly offices
   Pet parents and colleagues alike can benefit from having furry friends at work. It’s been proven that pets act as a stress-reducer. It also helps reduce the stress of finding a place for pets to go during the day if home-alone is not a good solution.
7. Child and/or doggy daycare
   Reduce the stress of finding the appropriate and convenient care options by offering on-site care or helping to supplement the financial burden of such care. You will see your parental staff’s shoulders lift as you help lift the weight.
8. Pet insurance
   This is one of the hottest new benefits companies are offering and it makes sense. With 65% of Americans having at least one pet, many are now “shouldering sizable veterinary costs”. When employees are distracted by the health of their pet or tough financial decisions they will be less effective at work. How can you help them and their pets be better prepared for the often-times unexpected costs?

Work-Life-Wellness Balance:

9. Subsidized or onsite fitness options
   Healthy employees are more productive, generally happier, and often the health-bug is contagious. Employees who show a care for their health are respected by colleagues. Make it easy for employees to stay healthy by providing onsite fitness options from onsite gyms, group yoga sessions, or encouraging running clubs. If onsite options aren’t feasible – help them stay healthy by contributing to their fitness budget financially.
10. Commuter benefits
    When you subsidize a bus pass, bike rental, parking, ride-sharing, or even pay mileage – knowing that the hassle of getting to work (often from a lot farther away these days) – removes the nagging concern of the financial downside of commuting from employees brains.
11. Flexible work arrangements
    Whether allowing teams to work on a schedule that works best for them or a location that is more desirable – this flexibility often helps staff be healthier and happier. They work when and where they are most productive and take the time to exercise or meditate when it works best for them personally. Concerned about the downsides of flexible work – take some pointers from companies like Zapier.
12. House cleaning reimbursement
    It is the rare person who actually enjoys cleaning their house, especially after a long week of work, family and health commitments, and everything else. Why not give your team back some of their weekend hours – provide once a month house cleaning and pick up the bill. This is one unique benefit that is unlikely to go unused.

Community & Your Team:

13. Monthly/quarterly team outings
    Who doesn’t enjoy being treated to entertainment or a good time? What’s even better is when that time is spent with a community of peers that have similar goals. Get things done, do a great job, and have fun. That team deserves to enjoy some downtime and that time away from work is often the catalyst to really getting to know each other better outside of purely work conversations. Teams who have fun together have been proven to be more productive at work together and often have a deeper loyalty to each other and the work they do.
14. Career development perks
    By showing a dedication to the personal growth of your team – they will feel a renewed sense of loyalty back to the company. Not only this but you gain a growing hiring pool to advance staff within the company as they grow their skills.
15. Volunteer hours
    Whether you coordinate volunteer activities that teams of employees can participate in or let them choose their own and submit a special volunteer time-off request. These types of activities lend themselves to not only the employees own happiness but also a respect and a higher level of engagement with the company overall.

Culture Aligned Perks

You know that each “shared purpose community” (AKA company) is unique. You have to evaluate how each of these benefits might fit in your culture and prioritize which should be implemented right away. Of course, not all of these will be financially feasible for every company, but not doing any shows an obvious lack of dedication or passive dismissal of current trends. Once you have prioritized the perks you might like to offer, we suggest taking a phased approach to implementation to make it more manageable.

Learn more about Oh My Green and be sure to join our community on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Find us as @OhMyGreenHQ.

The post 15 Unique Employee Benefits appeared first on garten.

Thanks to Lia Coniglio, our Head of Human Evolution (HR), and Michael Heinrich, our CEO, Oh My Green’s donation efforts began immediately. By October 12, our warehouse crew had a pallet of protein bars, snacks, whole food powders, and beverages for the firefighters and evacuees. Three days later, we had a car full of new blankets, pillows, respiratory masks, and pet food for local shelters and humane societies. Team building activities are a major part of Oh My Green’s culture, and relief for fire victims remains a cause we’re eagerly supporting.

For more information on how you and your team can get involved, visit the following links:

• Help Santa Rosa’s Redwood Empire Food Bank feed evacuees
• Provide financial relief through United Way of Wine Country
• Provide financial relief through the Red Cross
• Support Napa and Sonoma firefighters who’ve lost their homes in the disaster
• Join one of the many GoFundMe campaigns for fire victim relief
• Aid Sonoma’s animals with pet supplies

The post Aiding Northern California’s Wildfire Victims: How we can help appeared first on garten.

Of course, this isn’t the only way to meditate, and no one understands this better than Oh My Green’s very own Head of Connections, Justin. In his below featured post, he explores the different ways of meditating that are for meditation novices and pros alike. For more of his tips, practices, and thoughts on wellness, visit his personal blog Alchemize Life.

The Four Universal Forms of Meditation: Why Sitting Isn’t The Only Way To Meditate

Can’t stand the thought of sitting for 20 minutes to meditate?
Can barely fathom sitting still for even 5 minutes?

Does your brain & body hurt just thinking about trying to sit & meditate?

Is your consciousness f***ed?!

Definitely not. Maybe your mind, body & emotions are calling for a different mode of meditation. One that accesses another physical posture other than sitting.

There are other modes of meditation that are just as powerful and harness different, equally important, aspects of human development.

Even if you have been hardly awake the last few years, chances are that you have noticed that meditation has become popular in our society. If you haven’t noticed and are reading this then you are now caught up with the rest of us. :)

Honestly, it seems like there has been an epidemic of meditation in the U.S. in recent years. All of the en vogue celebrities & gurus are touting it, there are numerous meditation apps available, and many companies offer it to their employees as a benefit (mine does).

I think it’s awesome that we have reached a point in our society where the emphasis on the development of our consciousness is widely accepted and encouraged. Definitely a tipping point in our evolution as a species in my opinion.

But what if you’ve tried traditional seated meditation and for whatever reason can’t stick to it or cant stand it no matter how many times and types you’ve tried…  ?

According to the late Angeles Arrien, PhD, there are four universal forms or postures of meditation found among almost all societies across the globe and throughout our collective history.

If seated meditation has not been working for you, maybe you are trying too hard or maybe it is time to embrace one of the other ways below. Chances are you already do one or more without even realizing it.

The Four Universal Forms (or Postures) of Meditation:

1. SEATED MEDITATION

According to Arrien, seated meditation accesses WISDOM.  Something all of us could always use more of.

Seated meditation embodies the Teacher-Archetype.

Think of the great wise teachers throughout our history — Ghandi, Einstein, Confucius, Lao Tzu, Buddha, Aristotle, Socrates, etc. All of them spent a lot of time in seated meditation. Within they found deep & profound insight that they in turn shared with the world, elevating all of us to higher states of consciousness and greater ways of being in our shared-world.

For many of us, these figures may appear to be superhuman and beyond our personal relate-ability. This is often due to the fallible thinking of comparing one’s place on their journey to the journey of another. This kind of thinking almost always creates self-doubt and leads to stagnation.

I believe we all have something to teach & we all have innate wisdom that we can tap.

I also believe that we often make things way too hard. Especially, seated meditation. I was guilty of this. Making things harder than they need to be is something I constantly have to guard against (see here for insight on how I’ve began to overcome this life-challenge).

The seated form is what most people think of when they hear the word meditation. And unfortunately many of us think that if we cannot sit cross-legged or in full or half lotus pose then we are not cut out to meditate. I was one of these people up until about 2 years ago.

Many people can’t sit crossed legged, in lotus, or upon their shins in the traditional Japanese sitting posture “seiza” (see picture above) for more than a few minutes without experiencing mild-to-major discomfort (myself included unless I have been practicing yoga regularly).

Fortunately, I discovered that sitting in some “proper” way is just societal conditioning & the over-marketing of how meditation “should” look. This was spawned from our idolization of those monastic people who spend all day doing yoga, martial arts and seated meditation. People who have deliberately physically trained their body to sit for long periods of time in “traditional” seated meditation postures.

In truth, if you can sit in a regular chair or couch or can sit upon a bed with your back against the headrest and your legs stretched straight out in front of you (my preferred way) then you can do seated meditation. The key to seated meditation is to keep your spine & neck straight, but relaxed. Almost everyone can find a sitting position that personally works for them that achieves proper spinal alignment.

2. LYING MEDITATION

This is another important posture of meditation that we often forget about. Or we don’t realize that it is an awesome way of meditating because we associate it with sleeping.

And in our society if it is too easy or not difficult enough then we faultily think that we are doing it wrong or that it isn’t working.

Lying meditation is all about HEALING & LOVE, keeping with Arrien’s framework. Intuitively, this makes a lot of sense. It is what most of us do naturally when we feel physically unwell. It is also what we do with our loved ones to cultivate love. Also known as snuggling or cuddling.

This form of meditation is part of the the Healer-Archetype.

We can use this posture of meditation to heal beyond just the physical aspect of our nature. Mental, emotional, and spiritual healing can be accessed and accelerated in this position.

Shivasana, aka corpse pose, is used in most yoga classes and is probably the most common form of lying meditation.

Lying massages of all types can also be used to meditate. I’ve personally experienced many transcendental moments during a great massage.

Another, more advanced, but fairly accessible modern day version of this lying form of meditation is Holotropic Breathwork, pioneered by Stan Grof.

“Holotropic Breathwork is a powerful approach to self-exploration and healing that integrates insights from modern consciousness research, anthropology, various depth psychologies, transpersonal psychology, Eastern spiritual practices, and mystical traditions of the world. The name Holotropic means literally “moving toward wholeness” (from the Greek “holos“=whole and “trepein“=moving in the direction of something).

The process itself uses very simple means: it combines accelerated breathing with evocative music in a special set and setting. With the eyes closed and lying on a mat, each person uses their own breath and the music in the room to enter a non-ordinary state of consciousness. This state activates the natural inner healing process of the individual’s psyche, bringing him or her a particular set of internal experiences. With the inner healing intelligence guiding the process, the quality and content brought forth is unique to each person and for that particular time and place. While recurring themes are common, no two sessions are ever alike.”

To date I’ve undergone two Breathworks and both times had incredibly healing and transformative experiences. I was blessed because my Mom is trained in this particular healing modality. [Send her an email if you live in WA and are interested otherwise see here for worldwide Breathwork events]

This type of lying meditation may sound a bit out there, but it’s growing in acceptance. Founder & CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey, speaks openly about Breathwork’s transformative power in The New Yorker.

Ayahuasca, LSD & magic mushrooms have grown in popularity among the in-crowds the last few years in our ongoing humankind search for healing & meaning. Breathwork is an awesome way to discover this and reach similar (or better) altered states of consciousness without taking drugs. Unlike drugs, there are no negative side-effects with Breathwork.

3. STANDING MEDITATION

Standing meditation is rarely openly discussed in our current culture, yet it is incredibly powerful.

In a way, standing meditation has been repackaged into “power-poses” and standing affirmations. Two ideas that are talked about more often in our society.

I like to picture myself in a powerful superman silhouette upon a sky-scraper looking upon the city with the wind holding my cape afloat.

Or sometimes I picture myself upon the ledge of an Arizona red-rock cliff with the camera doing a 360-degree pan.

And sometimes I stand in a classic Wolverine pose in front of the mirror and just harness wild-beast energy.

Standing meditation accesses PRESENCE and cultivates our ability to honor boundaries and limits, as stated by Arrien.

This is the meditation of the Warrior-Archetype. Something that has always been programmed into our consciousness.

Throughout history and all civilizations we as a human species capture this warrior energy in our pictures, paintings, and statues of powerful humans in powerful poses.

Heroic statues stand guard around the globe. They often mark the entryway to our homes, institutions, various sacred areas, and even our country (statue of liberty).

4. WALKING (OR MOVING) MEDITATION

Walking and moving meditation accesses INNER CREATIVITY (VISION) and it harnesses the Visionary-Archetype.

It should come as no surprise that many of mankind’s most visionary artists, writers, scientists, and thinkers had a daily practice of moving meditation. Many of them were habitual walkers.

Mason Curry covers many of these famous minds and their daily moving meditations in his book Daily Rituals: How Artists Work.

Moving meditation can also come in the form of cooking, cleaning, swimming and various physical sports.

I even think driving can be a moving meditation. Not stuck-in-traffic-driving, but the kind where you are cruising along.

Same goes for bathing in the shower, a place where ideas seem to flow through our bodies like the water cascading over us.

There is something magical about moving and letting your mind unwind itself.  Whether it’s working through a current problem and finding a creative solution or ideating for all areas of life there is something naturally powerful about meditative movement.

Whether by conscious design or happenstance we have all had this experience and as Arien states, “When our body is moving & open, we become vehicles for creative problem-solving.”

Many cultures use this type of moving-meditation to reclaim one’s authentic Self. Aboriginals of Australia have their “walkabouts” and Native Americans use “vision quests”. Even in our modern day, people of many first world countries go “backbacking” through Europe or road trip through America to rediscover themselves.

Through movement we can remember who we are and why we came here.

No matter the type of preferred movement we can all get into altered states of consciousness. The trick is to notice which ones work especially well for you in your life as it is right now.

If you have the time and resources to go on vision quest, walkabout, backpack, road-trip, etc.  Go take a journey that reconnects you with your Self.

If an extended meditation of that type doesn’t fit your life how can you cultivate moving meditation in your life today?  It’s fairly easy if you don’t make it harder than it needs to be.

I go on walks and ride my bike daily. I body-build and practice yoga weekly as well–two more awesome moving meditations.

Friends of mine practice martial arts like kung fu & tai-chi.

My fiance goes to SoulCycle and has regular “spiritual experiences” and emotional breakthroughs during class.

Runners and marathoners are classic modern moving-meditators.

My fiance and I rollerblade together. Another favorite moving meditation of mine. It feels like flying to me and my mind always feels free & expansive as I journey through urban landscapes.

Hiking through nature is another personal favorite moving meditation. Whether in the foothills, through a park, deep in the mountains, or along a beach. [Side Tangent: Nature is an especially powerful amplifier and cultivator of all types of meditation.]

Moving meditation empowers me to remember what has heart & meaning to me in my life. It helps me remember who I really am and always provides creative answers that are endowed with personal integrity. Answers that help me move through whatever beguiling situations I find myself in during the course of my time here.

Alchemical Learnings:

1. Meditation is a natural phenomenon that everyone experiences.
2. The key to regular meditation is doing it in a way that truly works for you.
3. We can consciously harness different types of meditation to access different archetypes & powers. In review:

   1. Seated Meditation: Archetype = Teacher, Power = Wisdom
   2. Lying Meditation: Archetype = Healer, Power = Love & Healing
   3. Standing Meditation: Archetype = Warrior, Power = Presence & Boundaries
   4. Walking (Moving) Meditation: Archetype = Visionary, Power = Inner Vision (Creativity)

Alchemical Resources:

1. The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer, & Visionary by Angeles Arrien, PhD.
2. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey.
3. Awakening Spirits: A Native American Path to Inner Peace, Healing, & Spiritual Growth by Tom Brown Jr.
4. Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love & Wisdom by Rich Hanson, PhD with Richard Mendius, MD.
5. Have some other awesome meditation related resources? Please reference them in comments, email me, or tweet me! ??

Alchemical Opportunity for the reader:

1. Consciously identify the types of meditation you already naturally do in your life. Notice which of the Four Universal Forms of Meditation they fall under.
2. Choose one of the Four Universal Forms of Meditation that you currently do not practice and find an easy & fun way to add it into your life as it is now. [more on choosing easy & fun here]
3. If seated meditation has been difficult for you try it in news ways:
   • Use a personally comfortable sitting position.
   • Try out different types of seated meditation. I.E. Breath-based, guided, body-scan, mantra-based, chanting, listening to binaural beats, etc.
   • Try using an app like Headspace.
4. Want to go deeper? Try a breathwork, go on a vision quest, partake in a weekend meditation or yoga retreat, take a road-trip, or even go backpacking through a part of the world that has been silently calling to you.

Developing our consciousness is a worthy cause for all of us. It empowers our lives in so many ways and there is a huge growing body of scientific evidence that supports the positive effects of meditation on all areas of life.

But more importantly, meditation does not have to be hard. It is something all of us can do. If we take a little conscious energy to explore we can find ways to meditate that suit us particularly well. And in doing so we can return to our Self, mine our inner gold, and be of the highest benefit to everyone we come into connection with. Including ourselves.

In alchemy & service,

Justin David Carl ?

P.S. My mission is to empower people & organizations to transform & self-actualize. Meditation & consciousness development is a huge part of that. If you enjoyed this article please share it! ??

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