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Posted on Sun, Aug 7, 2011 : 6 a.m.

The pluses and minuses of meditating in a bathtub

By Susan Scott Morales, MSW

bathtubmeditation.jpg

Photo by Flickr user Dennis Wong


On one of those recent super-hot afternoons, I cooled off in my bathtub. It was relaxing and the thought came to me, “Why not meditate?”

I imagined putting candles around the tub, maybe filling it with bubbles or flower petals. After all, bathing is relaxing, and sometimes being in the water connects me to my right brain. Many of my poems have started while I was bathing. (Did you know Thomas Edison claimed he got his best ideas in the bath?)

There are no distractions and once the water stops running, the quiet takes over. These are the pluses. However, they stop there.

Meditating in the tub is simply uncomfortable. I tried different sitting postures. Lying down wasn’t an option because I thought I’d fall asleep.

I tried different techniques. The outcome was always the same: this isn’t comfortable. I suppose I could bring in waterproof pillows so the surface wasn’t so hard, but that seems a little overboard.

So why am I even mentioning this experiment? It supports one of my fundamentals of a meditation practice: be comfortable. Then we can be both relaxed and alert.

We don’t have to maintain a yoga pose to meditate. It’s fine to sit in a soft chair with pillows behind your back, around your neck, under your hips, thighs and feet. When we’re comfortable, we can relax. There should be ease in the body so that the mind can be at ease.

The breath should also be easy. There are great breathing exercises to prepare for meditation. Check out pranayama online. But once you focus inward, I suggest you breathe naturally, without any tension. Allow the body to move the breath in and out automatically.

In one of my blogs I claimed I could meditate any time, any place. Well, there's now a disclaimer… not in the bathtub.

Susan Scott Morales is a meditation teacher, psychotherapist, published poet, novelist, and community contributor to AnnArbor.com and blogger on redroom.com. Tweet her @susanscottmoral, reach her at susanmmorales@yahoo.com or visit her website: susanscottmorales.com or fan page: https://www.facebook.com/susanscottmorales.writer.

Comments

Sharon

Mon, Oct 31, 2011 : 9:58 p.m.

Such a shame to read this knowing that you simply overlooked the obvious... getting a better bathtub! I upgraded to a sauna style bathtub 2 years ago solely for the purpose of meditation and have never looked back. There is no better place to meditate! The tubs offered these days are amazing with the body positions they allow, in tub headrests and deep basins. You should really explore your options instead of putting down what would be a great benefit to you and all others.

BTPud

Sun, Aug 7, 2011 : 9:08 p.m.

A hot shower is one of my favorite places to meditate. The water running over my head puts me in the perfect frame of mind. :)