Sometimes you feel the need to relax your mind and recharge your batteries, but you don't have time to lie down or get a good night's sleep. By learning to rest with your eyes open, you have the opportunity to find the calm you need and, at the same time, decrease or eliminate that exhausting feeling of tiredness. Regardless of the context (even sitting at your desk or on the commute to work), you can practice different types of meditation with open eyes that will allow you to feel fresher and more rested.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Start with a Simple Meditation to Relax
Step 1. Find a comfortable position
You can either sit or lie down. The only rule is to make yourself comfortable: it is up to you to determine the way.
Avoid moving or fidgeting during meditation as much as possible
Step 2. Close your eyes
Even if your goal is to rest with your eyes open, it will be much easier to enter the meditation phase if you keep your eyes half closed. This way, you will be able to stem distractions and avoid eye strain if you keep your eyes open for too long.
Step 3. Block external stimuli
It happens to anyone to stare into space until the image becomes blurred to the point of not seeing it anymore. This is the state you need to reach. Therefore, as much as possible, try not to be distracted by nearby objects, noises or smells. It may be difficult at first, but with practice it will be more natural and automatic to ignore your surroundings.
Try focusing on a single object. Choose something small and still, like a crack in the wall or a flower in a vase. You can also focus your attention on something that doesn't have well-defined characteristics, such as a white wall or the floor. Once you've stared at it long enough, your vision should begin to blur and, by doing this, you'll have blocked out external stimuli
Step 4. Free your mind
Don't think about any worries, frustrations, or fears, or what you're looking forward to next week or weekend. Get everything out of your mind as you stare at the object.
Step 5. Try guided imagery
Imagine a quiet, still place, such as a deserted beach or a mountain. Focus on every detail: the view, the noises and the smells. Soon, this image of peace will replace the world around you, allowing you to feel relaxed and refreshed.
Step 6. Focus on muscle relaxation
Another meditative technique that will allow you to relax is to consciously relax your muscles. Start with your toes, focusing solely on their physical state. You should feel them loose and free from any kind of tension.
- Slowly move to each muscle in the body. Move from the toes to the entire arch and back, to the ankles, calves, and so on. Try to identify the areas where you feel tense or tense, and then consciously make that tension disappear.
- When you have reached the top of your head, your whole body should feel light and relaxed.
Step 7. Get out of the meditative state
It is important to slowly find the way back to the conscious state. You can do this by recognizing external stimuli a little at a time (for example, birdsong, wind in trees, distant music, etc.).
Once you have fully returned to reality, take a moment to savor the tranquility of this meditative experience. By ending your rest in this way, you will be able to resume daily activities with more charge and energy
Part 2 of 3: Practicing Zazen Meditation
Step 1. Find a quiet environment
That zazen is a type of meditation that is routinely practiced in Buddhist temples and monasteries, but can be tried in any quiet place.
Try sitting alone in a room or go somewhere outdoors (as long as the surrounding noises of nature don't disturb you)
Step 2. Sit in the zazen position
Settle on the floor, on the floor, or on a pillow, in the lotus or half lotus position, with your knees bent and each foot resting on or near the opposite thigh. Lower your chin, tilt your head down and aim your gaze 60-90cm in front of you.
- It is important to keep the back straight, but relaxed, and the hands together over the abdomen, without interlocking them.
- You can also sit in a chair, as long as you keep your spine straight, your hands folded and your eyes pointed 60-90cm in front of you.
Step 3. Keep your eyes half closed
During zazen meditation the eyes should be kept half open, so as not to be influenced by external stimuli, but not closed completely.
Step 4. Breathe slowly and deeply
Focus on expanding your lungs as you inhale and deflate them as much as possible as you exhale.
Step 5. Practice "no-thinking"
The "non-thought" consists of staying anchored to the present and avoiding dwelling on something for too long. Try to imagine the world slowly passing by as you acknowledge what is happening without affecting your feeling of well-being.
If you have trouble with not-thinking, try focusing only on your breathing. It should help you relax as other thoughts fade from your mind
Step 6. Start in small intervals
Some monks practice zazen meditation for long periods of time, but try starting with 5 or 10 minute sessions with the goal of going up to 20 or 30 minutes. Set a timer or alarm to know when the time is up.
Don't worry if you have trouble at first. Your mind may wander, you will start thinking about other things or you may even fall asleep. It's normal. Be patient and keep practicing. Eventually you will succeed
Step 7. Get out of the meditative state
It is important to slowly find the way back to the conscious state. You can do this by recognizing external stimuli a little at a time (for example, birdsong, wind in trees, distant music, etc.).
Once you have fully returned to reality, take a moment to savor the tranquility of this meditative experience. By ending your rest in this way, you will be able to resume daily activities with more charge and energy
Part 3 of 3: Practicing Meditation While Observing Two Objects Simultaneously with Open Eyes
Step 1. Find a quiet environment
Try sitting alone in a room or go somewhere outdoors (as long as the surrounding noises of nature don't disturb you).
Step 2. Sit in the zazen meditation posture
Settle on the floor, on the floor, or on a pillow, in the lotus or half lotus position, with your knees bent and each foot resting on or near the opposite thigh. Lower your chin, tilt your head down and aim your gaze 60-90cm in front of you.
- It is important to keep the back straight, but relaxed, and the hands together over the abdomen, without interlocking them.
- You can also sit in a chair, as long as you keep your spine straight, your hands folded and your gaze pointed 60-90cm in front of you.
Step 3. Choose some objects to focus on
Each eye needs its object. One should be in the left eye's field of view, while the other should be in the right eye's field of view. They must also be immobile.
- Both objects should be at an angle of slightly more than 45 degrees from the face. This way they will be close enough to allow their eyes to remain facing normally forward, while still giving them the ability to focus individually on two different objects, each on the opposite side.
- For more satisfying results, make sure each object is 60-90cm away in front of your gaze, so that you can sit with your eyes half open and your chin down, as you would in the zazen meditation position.
Step 4. Focus on the two objects
Each eye must be fully aware of the presence of the object in its field of view. As you become more familiar with this exercise, you will begin to feel a sense of deep relaxation.
As in other meditation practices, the key is to have patience. It may take several tries for your concentration to improve to the point of clearing your mind and reaching a deeper level of relaxation
Step 5. Get out of the meditative state
It is important to slowly find the way back to the conscious state. You can do this by recognizing external stimuli a little at a time (for example, birdsong, wind in trees, distant music, etc.).
Once you have fully returned to reality, take a moment to savor the tranquility of this meditative experience. By ending your rest in this way, you will be able to resume daily activities with more charge and energy
Advice
- Some people find it easier to meditate in complete darkness or dim light.
- Let yourself go for a while, but make sure you have something that can instantly bring you back to reality (loud noise or a friend). At first, try to meditate for 5-10 minutes and then, as you improve, increase the sessions to 15-20 minutes.
- Think about what's positive in your daily life or a future project.
- Try not to think about what you are impatient to do, otherwise you will not be able to let go and enter the meditative state.
- If silence or uncontrollable noise might be distracting you, put your headphones on and listen to some quiet music or binaural sounds.
- If you have trouble imagining a quiet place, try entering these keywords in the search engine: lake, pond, glacier, meadow, desert, forest, valley, stream. When you find a photo you like, make it "yours" by staring at it for a few minutes until you can imagine it in detail.
- Meditation does not have to become an intense spiritual exercise. All you need to do is relax your mind and block out all external distractions.
Warnings
- Rest with your eyes open is no substitute for sleep. To be healthy, the body needs to sleep for an adequate number of hours.
- Usually, sleeping with your eyes open for several hours (and not resting for a few minutes) can also be a symptom of a serious health problem, such as nocturnal lagophthalmos (a sleep disorder), muscular dystrophy, Bell's palsy, or Alzheimer's disease. If you sleep with your eyes open (or know someone who has this habit), you need to see a doctor.
