Let’s face it, meditation isn’t always as easy as we’d like it to be.
If you’ve ever felt stressed or stuck, you may have turned to the practice to help shift your focus and realign your energy.
However, for a lot of us, it can be extremely difficult to find the stillness that we’re looking for.
While you certainly don’t need any fancy tricks or toys, equipping yourself with certain tools is a great way to increase the effectiveness of your meditation.
To get you started, we’ve compiled a list of 5 of our favorite tools you can use to deepen your practice.
Tools For Meditation
1. Mala Beads
The first tool that we would recommend to deepen your meditation practice is Mala beads.
Also known as yoga beads, Malas are prayer beads used for counting breaths and repeating mantras.
Mala beads come in all different gemstones that are each energy with unique properties. Thus, meditating with the right mala beads will allow you to shift your breath and focus on such energies.
Hold your mala in your right hand, draped between your middle and index fingers. Roll the beads between your fingers as you count each bead, remembering the intention you set for your practice.
If you have a mantra for your practice, chant it allowed as you sense the feeling of the beads between your fingers.
Continue feeling each bead until you’ve counted through all 108 of them. Remember to breathe a deep inhale and exhale as you touch each bead.
2. Meditation Cushion
Meditation cushions are a great way to make yourself more comfortable during your meditation practice.
This is important because with increased comfort comes increased focus.
By practicing in an uncomfortable space or sitting on the floor, your mind will be too busy fidgeting for comfort to really focus on your practice.
A cushion for seated meditation will help you to naturally hold a better posture and allow you to focus solely on your intentions.
Not to mention, floor cushions make a great accessory for any meditation or mindfulness space.
3. Music
For a lot of beginners, music meditation is a great option to help you feel more relaxed and comfortable with the idea of stillness.
Including some sort of sound into your practice will remove the distractions of silence and any nervousness that may be holding you back.
While I wouldn’t recommend turning up the EDM or heavy metal, listening to mindful music during your meditation certainly has the ability to improve your focus and further relieve stress.
There are a lot of different playlists already made for meditating that you can find on streaming sites like YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Music.
And for more information on using music to practice mindfulness with children, check out our blog: Relaxing Mindfulness Music for Kids.
4. Tibetan Singing Bowl
Singing bowls, or sound baths, are a meditative tool used traditionally throughout Asia for a variety of different religious practices and rituals.
The concept is to immerse oneself in the sound of the bowl’s vibrations to realign energy and focus.
These bowls are a great way o increase relaxation and have even been shown to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression.
To use your bowl, hold it in the palm of one hand with the mallet in the other.
Set your intentions aloud with an affirmation or mantra, then begin tapping it edge of the bowl with your mallet.
This will begin to clear the energy of the space with a beautiful signing sound as you continue to swirl the mallet around the rim.
Be sure to swirl the mallet slowly and dedicate moments to your breath as you focus your energy only on the sound of the bowl.
5. Mandala
Mandalas are sacred circle designs originating in the Indian and Tibetan religions of Hinduism and Buddhism.
The circle shapes are typically filled with a variety of geometrical patterns, symbols, and colors and are meant to help facilitate a deep meditative state.
To begin, look through a variety of mandalas and chose one that you are drawn to. Notice if the designs make you feel empowered or energized, then go with the one that feels right to you.
Next, come to a comfortable seated position in front of your mandala.
Breathe slowly and deeply, while continuing to gaze softly at the design.
For the next few minutes, focus only on the shape of the mandala as you continue to inhale and exhale slowly. Notice the symmetry and geometric aspect.
You may wish to trace the lines with your breath; inhaling on one shape, exhaling as you move onto the next.
While Mala beads are my personal favorite meditation tool, different things work for different people.
Try implementing one or all of these tools into your practice to see what works best for you.
