I’m a closet meditator…literally. Last month, I decided to take a page out of Glennon Doyle’s “Untamed,” and began sitting in the closet for 10 minutes nearly every day. Glennon talks about accessing her “Knowing” while in the closet. I wanted some of that.
What’s interesting is that I thought intuition was something people had. I didn’t realize it was a skill that could be developed with practice. That said, I am pleasantly surprised with my results!
Here is what I learned:
Visualizations felt real – like scary real
I found myself so lost in my mind and body that I nearly jumped when I remembered I was actually in the closet and not in the place I was daydreaming about. I also tried enlarging an image with my fingers (like a smart phone) to get a better look at what I was seeing. It was very cool!
Not having a plan was the best plan of all
At first, I tried thinking about what I wanted to think about before entering the closet. I figured, if it was already on my mind, something brilliant would pop up. WRONG. When my mind was “on,” I was thinking too hard. Aside from loud mind chatter, nothing would happen. The most successful moments I had were walking in with zero expectations.
Sometimes a 10-minute power nap is all I needed
I’ll admit, there were some days when I found myself dozing (especially when I tried meditating laying down — oops!). Instead of judging myself for “doing it wrong,” I decided my body clearly needed that moment of rest and moved on with my day…usually feeling more refreshed!
A relaxed jaw is a relaxed body
I wear a night guard at night because I’m a clencher (it’s very attractive). It turns out, I should probably wear one all day! The second I would settle into the closet and turn off the light, my jaw instantly relaxed, allowing my body to release tension as well. I’m now more aware when my jaw starts to tighten throughout the day.
The more I did it, the easier it was to access my “Knowing”
It’s like I conditioned my brain to correlate the closet with something “magical.” By the end of this litter experiment, I was starting to get new ideas on my way to the closet!
While not a tip, I also realized my stomach makes A LOT of noise – all the time!
So, there you have it. I’m officially a closet meditator. I certainly didn’t want to keep you all in the dark though about how amazing the experience was. Are you ready to turn the lights off and give it a try?