All the Stresses Down the Drain: The Empowering Benefits of Shower Meditation

There are always those days when you are constantly running around and by the end of the day, your energy is all drained and a nice warm or cold shower seems to do the trick. But do you know that just a simple shower, if done right, with a little mindfulness, can relieve you of stress and anxiety and wash away your worries?!! And you can get much more than just a clean, relaxing body and refreshing feeling?

A shower when taken mindfully is called the Shower Meditation. Just spend a few more moments in the shower meditating. Literally! When you take a shower, it washes away the sweat, dirt and germs from your body and as your eyes can see the dirty water going down the drain, the ears hear it going down and, your nose smells the fragrance of the soap or body wash; the mind registers all these sensations, thus, absorbing the cleanliness into the memory. Your senses take in the clean feeling and the body internalizes the ‘refreshing’ feeling. You engage your senses in this relaxation process.

So, if you set an intention that the shower will wash away your tension and anxiety and stress, your mind will also think that it must let go of the worry, the fear, the stress or whatever you may wish to release. No, it will not take away all your worries and change your circumstances but will surely reduce the intensity of the emotions you are carrying and wanting to let go. 

So, next time you take a shower, close your eyes and visualize that the water is taking all your worries away as well and engage all your senses by feeling that each drop of water that falls on your body is soothing and cleansing you externally and internally. Looking down at the drain, seeing how all the stress flows into the drain smoothly and effortlessly. Do a short meditation if possible, maybe even a guided meditation or soothing music playing in the background, as you shower.

There are days when I do not get my much-desired daily meditation, as time is a big factor. I do not have the time to sit and breathe and get into a relaxing position and meditate but I do have time to shower! So, I meditate in the shower and it certainly does the trick, giving me the same benefits of relaxation and connecting with myself, making me feel empowered and knowing that I have yet another tool in my mindfulness toolbox. 

So, the excuse (or not?!!) that time is a constraint does not hold up anymore and neither do I feel guilty about not doing my meditation or have that incomplete feeling about missing something from my day. Just like your body starts feeling sleepy when you sit on the bed as it associates the bed with sleep, your body and mind will associate the shower with a complete cleansing process, if you make it a regular practice.

So, next time you shower, spend a few more moments for total relaxation and a complete cleanse.

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Monica Kamran is an Intuitive Energy Healer, Corporate Wellness and Stress Management and Mindfulness/Meditation coach. She is the founder of Inner Sanctuary Wellness, based in San Ramon, California, which offers opportunities to learn tools to attain deeper consciousness of the self and one’s surroundings and the ability to use those skills and modalities to lead a fulfilling life, being mindful of the present.