My 5 Favorite ‘Non-Meditation’ Techniques

Meditation has amazing benefits for the mind and body…

But it’s hard!

At least for me it is.

I started practicing meditation over 30 years ago, but I still can’t sit still for much longer than 30 minutes.

These days I prefer to do meditation-like exercises instead of just trying to clear the mind - which is why I put ‘Non-Meditation’ in the title of this post.

Additionally, I’m a big believer in the power of compounding consistency, so I set myself easy goals that I can sustain as a habit.

My meditation goal is to do 10 minutes a day. I do it immediately after stretching and I vary it each day over the week so I don’t get bored.

Here is my exact ‘non-meditation’ routine that I have been following for a number of years now.

Day one is Yoga Nidra. Yoga nidra is a type of meditation in which you mentally scan your body, consciously relaxing each part as you go. It also goes by the names of "yogic sleep" or "non-sleep deep rest" as coined by Andrew Huberman.

Yoga Nidra is the one type of meditation I have been using consistently for the longest time. I mean like decades. I love it because it is guided and you do it lying down. Though my mind still wanders occasionally during the session, I always feel like I get into a meditative state at least somewhat.

There are loads of free guided yoga nidra practices on YouTube from as short as 5 minutes to hours long.

The rest of my meditative practices are actually types of breathwork.

On day two I do Wim Hof Breathing. This is my latest addition and I’ve only been doing it a year or so. I really like it. I initially discovered it while researching how to hold my breath for longer. Honestly, I’m not sure if it helps that much with breath hold training, but after doing it for a month or so I got addicted to it. The feeling is somewhat euphoric.

The best way to do Wim Hof breathing is to follow the guided video narrated by the man himself.

I alternate Yoga Nidra and Wim Hof Breathing for 6 days. On the seventh day I do a maximum breath hold, where I literally try to hold my breath for as long as possible.

That’s basically my weekly ‘non-meditation’ routine.

I always do this after my post exercise stretching cool down, which is actually a yoga routine, and yoga is a moving meditation also.

There is one more thing I do which I learned from “The Huberman Show” called physiological sighs. I use this whenever I feel like I need to calm down a bit. Even doing a couple of these breaths can make a big difference.

To do a physiological sigh, inhale as much as you can, preferably through your nose. At the top of your inhale, breathe in a little bit more to really inflate your lungs, then exhale slowly out your mouth through pursed lips.

So those are my 5 ‘non-meditation’ techniques. Some of which are actually meditations, but the majority are breathwork.

Yoga nidra, Wim Hof Breathing, maximum breath hold, physiological sighs, and yoga.