“Meditation? You probably imagine someone sitting in stillness and silence. Well, Osho dynamic meditation is not that,” writes Hannah Mackenzie in Glamour on 1 October 2023.
When you think of meditation you probably imagine someone sitting in stillness and silence, a look of serenity on their face. Well, Osho dynamic meditation is not that. Involving ‘chaotic breathing’, screaming, crying and shouting to celebrate your rebirth, it’s a far cry from sitting on a fringed cushion and loading up your Headspace app.
So when, at a relaxed dinner round her house, I tell my friend Rebecca how I‘ve been trying to stay with feelings of anger when they arise, rather than talking myself out of it or pushing them down, she tells me I should try it.
“It’s honestly changed my life,” she tells me, in between bites of the tacos she’s cooked for us. “I’ve known about it for years but always resisted going, as I thought it was too weird or ‘out there’ but then I tried it on a retreat, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s given me a space to just be me and let all the difficult and uncomfortable emotions out. It’s better than Botox. People keep telling me how much younger I look!” I nod and ask her when the next one is.
My experience with Osho meditation
The session begins at 8.30am on a Saturday morning – apparently the earlier the better when it comes to Osho – and I arrive to at the venue to new age mantra-style music playing and my fellow classmates dancing in a very sincere way while they wait for the session to begin.
Heads are thrown back. Eyes are closed. Arms are flung about. If you’ve ever seen the Peep Show episode where Mark and Jeremy go to Rainbow Rhythms, that’s definitely the vibe. I feel instantly self-conscious and internally repeat the Mark Corrigan mantra: “I’m not really here. It’s research. I’m Louis Theroux. I’m Louis Theroux.” Luckily, soon the blindfolds come out, and I relax, safe in the knowledge that nobody will be looking at whatever comes next.
First stage – chaotic breathing
To kick off the practice, we’re encouraged to make our breathing intense, deep, fast, and without any rhythm. This, our facilitator Tara explains, is to help with energising the body and preparing it for the next stages. I’m surprised at how physically uncomfortable this is and how difficult I find it to make the breaths random without slipping into a pattern. I’m longing to breathe normally but push through.
Second stage – catharsis
Next, Tara tells us to go wild. If we’re feeling sexual, we can even start humping the floor, she says (which I find fairly alarming!). On cue, everyone around me begins screaming, shouting, crying, jumping, dancing, singing, and doing any movement that feels right in the moment. The idea is to express ourselves freely and let go of any inhibitions or fear of judgement.
I’m not sure whether it’s the impact of the chaotic breathing, the use of blindfolds or something else, but all my sense of being a Louis Theroux-style observer slips away. I find myself screaming as loud as I can, connecting with a feeling of fury. When I sense someone dancing close to me, I even feel like I want to push them over! Thankfully I resist and instead fall to the ground and burst into tears.
Third stage – jumping with mantra
Just as I start to feel my voice is becoming hoarse from all the screaming and crying, we move onto the next part – raising our `arms high above our heads and jumping up and down shouting out “Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!” According to Tara, the sound should resonate deep into our sex chakras (lower part of the abdomen). This helps in grounding the energy and further releasing any remaining blockages.
Writing this all out with a bit of distance makes it sound completely ridiculous but, in the moment, I feel totally invigorated, filled with confidence, and as though nothing could be more normal than shouting “Hoo!” as I leap in the air.
Fourth Stage – silence
Following all this excitement, the group drops into complete silence and stillness, all of us freezing in whatever position we are in. This more peaceful meditation is more what I’m used to. I lie on the ground and watch the light coming in through the large windows.
Fifth Stage – celebration
To close, the group is asked to celebrate the energy and aliveness we felt during the meditation by dancing, moving, or expressing ourselves in any way we feel called. After such an intense experience, I enjoy the opportunity to be more playful and let off some energy to the lively music Tara is playing. I end the session feeling more open, less held back and with a feeling of inner confidence.
Comments are closed.