Shopping Meditation

Shopping can be fun yet tiring.

Walking in shopping malls, shopping streets and supermarkets, watching all the people and products, has a great impact on us. We can lose ourselves in the external world.

As an Art student (more than 35 years ago), I walked my way from home to the Art-Academy and back through the shopping streets of Arnhem in Holland.

Tired after a day’s work, the impressions of all these visual stimuli on my way were sometimes too much. I lost myself, my centre, by watching the world of advertisements, shopping windows, people and products.

There was always a lot of outgoing energy till I found a trick:

While walking in these surroundings of overloaded visual stimuli, I started watching my breath and body too. I could still observe the outer world, and by observing my inner world at the same time didn’t get jolted out of my centre or scattered. Somehow it worked after a while! Not only that, I started to enjoy shopping more because it became an opportunity to grow.

So, when you like to shop, or have to shop, watch your breath while shopping. You might forget or lose the awareness for a while – don’t worry, it will come back.

Each time you start feeling weird while shopping it can be an opportunity to remember your breath. Breathing in…, breathing out, breathing… breathing out, preferably breathing through the nose, but the main focus is on the rhythm of the breath. Just being aware of the breath going through your nose to your lungs, and back, and at the same time walking, watching the inner and outer world.

Of course after one hour it is good to stop, sit down, have a drink, relax. It is easier to start this shopping meditation when you are alone. Talking with friends while shopping and watching the breath at the same time is mostly for advanced practitioners…..

And watching your mobile phone at the same time is not recommended!

This shopping meditation is suitable for both, men and women….

Have fun!

Marc, Osho News