Can you really meditate in the shower? It may seem weird at first, but shower meditations have become one of my favorite practices for cultivating mindfulness, connecting with my inner self, and instilling peace and tranquility within. Discover 6 powerful practices you can start using today for an effective shower meditation!

Debunking Meditation Myths

What do you think of when you hear the word meditation?

Here are some of the thoughts I once had, before I started meditating:

• Meditation is for monks and really special people who have the elusive power of being able to completely clear their head of thoughts.
• Meditation requires perfect silence and stillness.
• Meditation is hard.
• Meditating requires you to not have any thoughts at all.
• Meditation takes hours every day.

I’m sure there were other limiting beliefs swirling around in my head, preventing me from even entertaining the notion of trying to meditate. The biggest limiting belief? “I can’t do it. It’s too hard. Meditation just isn’t for me.”

Depending on where you are in your meditation journey, you may also have experienced similar thoughts and beliefs, or you might still hold some of these beliefs with you now. And that’s okay. One of the greatest benefits of meditation is the ability to cultivate mindfulness: non-judgmental awareness in the present moment.

That means noticing any negative thoughts or limiting beliefs you have without placing labels on them as good or bad.

• Related: What is Mindfulness? Plus 15 Mindfulness Quotes

You might already sense where this is headed here. Eventually, external influences came into my life that re-framed my perspective on meditation. So finally, I decided to give it a shot. And with time and consistency, I learned that all the beliefs I had about meditation were wrong.

Meditation isn’t for only really special people. It doesn’t require perfect silence or stillness. You don’t have to clear your head of all thoughts. And it doesn’t take hours.

And to turn that on its head:

Meditation is for everyone. You can meditate when it’s noisy. You can meditate while you’re moving. You can have thoughts the entire time you’re meditating. And you can meditate in five minutes. Or three minutes. Or one minute. In fact, time doesn’t matter at all.

• Related: 10 Ways to Cultivate Mindfulness Today

Can You Really Meditate in the Shower?

When I first started shower meditations, I didn’t actually call them meditations at all. I wasn’t purposely trying to label what I was doing. I just wanted to relieve my mind from persistent worrying thoughts.

The shower is an interesting place. In Untamed, Glennon Doyle writes about how her kids describe the shower as this magical portal to brilliant ideas that just come to them effortlessly. I remember reading this part and thinking, “Yep! I know exactly what they’re talking about!”

I’ve had some of my most brilliant and creative ideas in the shower. (Well, in my head, they’re brilliant . . .) Sometimes, I’ve had several different ideas come to me at once, tumbling through my head like dominoes.

I’ve also spent entire shower sessions lost in worries and anxiety, so engrossed in my own thoughts that by the end of the shower, I don’t even remember washing my hair. (A smell test confirms I did.)

As I began to cultivate more mindfulness in my life, I started to pay closer attention to the paths my mind would wander in the shower. I have a lot of negative thoughts in here, I realized.

But what if it didn’t have to be that way?

What if I could change my story and use the shower as a place to wash away those negative thoughts and realign with my highest, truest self?

So I decided to take back my story and change the way I approached showering. I started to be intentional with my thoughts. And because I tend to shower in the morning, this proved to be an effective way to start my day on a positive note.

Below, I list several different methods you can use for a powerful and effective shower meditation. I’ve used all of these practices, and I can attest that they don’t just change the way I approach showering; they positively affect my thoughts, emotions, and overall mood for the entire day.

And to answer the question I posed in the heading: yes, you can absolutely meditate in the shower. One of the myths people often hold about meditation is that it requires sitting still cross-legged on the floor. And while I do meditate like this every morning, I’ve also done walking meditations, laying down meditations, and even quick breathing meditations when I get anxiety at the grocery store.

You can meditate anywhere it feels right to you. And the shower is a perfect place to start.

• Related: 7 Types of Meditation Practices for Beginners

Shower Meditation #1: Wash Away Negativity

Where do your thoughts go when you’re in the shower? Do you worry about the day ahead? Do you replay events of the past 24 hours? Do you create imaginary worst-case-scenarios in your mind of things that probably will never happen?

Notice where you feel tension in your body. Notice what you’re currently worried or stressed about. Simply notice anything going on internally that doesn’t serve your highest good.

Now close your eyes. Take a deep, soulful inhale and a rejuvenating exhale. Concentrate on how the water feels on your skin. As the water falls around you, imagine it washing away any negative thoughts and emotions you’re holding onto. The water takes your tension and carries it to the drain. Anything that doesn’t serve your highest good is washed away from your body.

Feel your body becoming lighter. Your mind is clear. Your heart is open. Anything that doesn’t serve or support your total well-being has been washed away, swirling down the drain, where it will be cleansed by the earth.

When you’re done, smile and express gratitude. Feel the strength of your body, mind, and spirit.

You are worthy, powerful, whole, and more than enough. Carry those feelings with you throughout your day.

Shower Meditation #2: The Flow of Abundance

This is similar to the practice above, but instead of imagining the water washing something away from you, you visualize the water carrying something to you.

Close your eyes and take a deep breath. What are you seeking in your life today? Whatever you’re seeking, you are going to attract an abundance of it to you.

If you’re seeking creative ideas, imagine an abundance of inspired ideas and creative thinking washing down on you.

If you’re seeking financial prosperity, visualize gold coins and beautiful jewels raining down all around you.

If you seek peace, envision the water carrying infinite peace throughout your entire being.

Whatever it is that you seek, know that it is always available to you. And because all that you seek is already within you, you’re literally creating everything you desire within and attracting it to your being.

I like to think of the water as a metaphor for your limitless capacity to create and have anything you want. The water is constantly flowing, and because you know more is coming, you don’t have to cling to every droplet that falls down on you. You can appreciate when it comes, let it go, and find gratitude knowing that more is on its way.

The same is true for abundance. You have access to an infinite flow of abundance. It is your birthright, and it will never be taken away from you. So instead of clinging onto the inspired ideas, financial prosperity, peace, and anything else you desire, you can simply let it go, knowing more is on its way.

Shower Meditation #3: Positive Affirmations

A positive affirmation is a present-tense statement that is designed to uplift and encourage while boosting self-belief and supporting your overall wellbeing.

One of my favorite ways to lift my vibrations, take back my story, and release anything that doesn’t support my highest good is through positive affirmations.

I use positive affirmations when I’m driving, working out, at the grocery store, and throughout the day to affirm my worthiness and remind myself of my inherent limitlessness.

So I guess it’s no surprise that I started using positive affirmations in the shower, too.

To start, come up with a list of positive affirmations that resonate with you. If you need help getting started, here’s a list of positive affirmations for success, one for self-confidence, spiritual affirmations, and affirmations to end your day. If you’re well-versed with using affirmations and would rather come up with some on the spot, that’s okay, too!

If you want, you could try printing your affirmations and laminating them so you can hang them up in front of you to see. I haven’t tried this, but I imagine with a little ingenuity, you could get it to work.

As you shower, take conscious inhales and exhales. I like to spend a minute or two envisioning the water washing away and carrying any negativity from my body. Now, you can start saying your positive affirmations, either internally or aloud. Continue to repeat as you go about your normal showering tasks.

If you want to take it a step further, I like to close my eyes for a minute while I’m doing this. I’ve noticed that when I close my eyes in the shower, I don’t see pure darkness; instead, I see a faint golden hue shining behind my eyelids. you may notice this, too. Breathe into this light as you say your affirmations: I am worthy. I am enough. I am strong. I am powerful. I am loved. Envision the golden light surrounding you, cloaking your entire being. Feel the positive words in every cell of your body.

As you step out of the shower, you’ll find yourself feeling lighter, more peaceful, and simply radiant. This is one of my favorite ways to begin the day.

Shower Meditation #4: Golden Light

That golden light I mentioned above?

This light is always there. It’s always within.

And there are so many powerful ways to connect with this light to support your highest good.

One meaningful practice is to simply envision this light surrounding you as you close your eyes. See the light growing from within, radiating through every cell of your being. Spend several moments consciously connecting with your inner light. How does it make you feel? Peaceful? Empowered? Loved? Feel these positive emotions within.

You can also envision the water droplets themselves as beams of light raining down on you like loving nudges from the Universe. These nudges are a reminder that you’re not alone. You are always supported, protected, loved, cherished, treasured, and adored. Concentrate on the feel of the water hitting your skin. When you imagine these droplets of the Universe’s loving light, how does that make you feel?

Sometimes, I like to stand in the light and simply be. When I’m tired and weary, I feel the light surrounding me. In this moment, I know I don’t have to do or be anything. The Universe is taking care of me.

Shower Meditation #5: Chakra Healing

If you’re familiar with chakras, including the color and locations of each of the seven main chakras, you might enjoy doing a chakra meditation from time-to-time.

While you can definitely do this out of the a shower, I find something soothing about the warmth and peacefulness of the shower that makes this an especially perfect time to align the chakras.

Admittedly, I’ve always multi-tasked in the shower, so while my conditioner is setting in my hair, I’ll use this time to wash the rest of my body or shave my legs. But I’ve found that not forcing myself to multitask and just standing still for a minute or two can often be more supportive of my overall well-being. One of my favorite things to do during this time is get in touch with my chakras.

To start, close your eyes and take a deep breath. I usually start with my root chakra and work my way up, but if you’d rather start at the crown and work down, that’s totally fine. Inhale deeply, and as you inhale, see a bright red light at your root chakra growing bigger. As you exhale, this light grows brighter. Repeat this for one or two more cycles. Then, move up to your sacral chakra and repeat this process. Continue this until you finish at the crown. When you’re finished, imagine the light of energy flowing freely throughout your body.

If you’d like, you can end this with an empowering mantra, such as “All is well,” or, “I am aligned with my highest self.”

• Related: A Complete Beginner’s Guide to Chakras

Shower Meditation #6: Breathing Meditation

Sometimes, when nothing else seems to work, what your soul needs is a simple breathing meditation.

There’s nothing fancy here. But simply paying conscious awareness to your breathing is a powerful way to cultivate mindfulness and restore harmony within.

Inhale deeply. If you want, you can inhale to a count of four or five. Pause for a brief moment when you reach the end of your breath. Then exhale for a count of five or six. Continue doing this as you shampoo, condition, wash your body, shave, and complete your various shower tasks.

There’s a good chance that as you do this, you’ll notice your thoughts begin to stray. That’s okay. When you notice your thoughts straying, don’t suppress them, and don’t be hard on yourself. Simply notice, and then let that thought drift away as you come back to your breath. Every time you have a thought, allow yourself to return to your breath. You may do this dozens of times throughout your shower, and that’s okay.

This is a simple yet meaningful way to meditate in the shower, as it returns you to the present moment, helps you to cultivate a sense of mindfulness, and promotes peace and tranquility within.

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And there you have it: six powerful ways to meditate in the shower. Have you ever tried meditating in the shower? What are some of your favorite shower meditation practices? Leave a note in the comments below!

For more meditation tips, plus a daily dose of positive affirmations and self-love, be sure to connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest!

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