What is Dynamic Meditation – A Beginner’s Guide!

Meditation is one of the most beneficial practices that help with relaxing and re-energizing the body. It goes a long way in not only strengthening the physical body but also the mental and spiritual aspects of our lives.

While this is the case, some forms of the practice can be sometimes very difficult to do as they require focus, calmness and mental stillness. And if you are not the type of people who are able to sit quietly for a long time, the forms may prove to be difficult for you.

Dynamic meditation is a form of meditation that comes in handy for those who have a hard time sitting in silence to mediate as it involves constant body movements.

It helps to get rid of negative emotions and tension, and allows you to gain energy and have a good mental space to handle trying areas of your life with relative ease.

Let’s take a deep look into dynamic meditation.

What is Dynamic Meditation

Dynamic meditation, which is often referred to as Osho dynamic meditation is a type of meditation that involves movement, sounds and dances as well as moments of silence, that are mainly aimed at helping the meditator to have emotional release, break old patterns of the mind and body and get to experience peace and happiness.

It works in stages, where the meditator firsts gets into a tensed state through various movements, noise and activities and then later on gets into deep calmness and stillness to gain quietness and calmness.

Ideally, there are 5 stages of the practice which should be followed to make it successful. No stage should be skipped as each of them has its own essence as part of the whole exercise.

There is a specific strategy that was created by the founder of this practice, Osho, which should be followed as is, without adding or taking anything away from it.

Dynamic meditation is one of the most demanding styles of meditation and it requires the one practicing it to be consciously aware and focused from start to end. Some people prefer using blindfolds while doing it so that their focus is directed inwards completely.

It is strongly recommended that it be done early in the morning when the day is just starting. This time is said to be the moment when the entirety of nature becomes alive and the meditator has an easy time being alert and conscious.

How Dynamic Meditation Works

Osho, also known as Rajneesh or Acharya Rajneesh to Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, developed dynamic meditation to help people who wanted to achieve peace, emotional and mental balance as well as inner harmony do it differently from the normal ways of sitting meditation.

The idea behind dynamic meditation is that it is hard to sit to meditate and achieve inner silence almost immediately you get into the practice.

For this reason, you should first engage in a series of exercises that will your mind and body in a state of deep tension which will make you naturally desire to calm down.

Just like the gears of a manual car work, you cannot go to the second gear until the first gear is operating at its maximum. The same way, you cannot be able to get into the deep meditative state until the tension in your mind and body is at its peak.

This practice uses body movements such as dancing and jumping as well as crying, laughing and screaming to help increase the tension in the body.

After that, the meditator naturally desires to get into a state of relaxation and quietness, which is given to them through the second phase of the meditation.

This type of meditation goes very well with the modern lifestyle as it helps release all the emotional, physical and mental baggage as well as the frustrations of trying to keep up with the pressure that comes with living this lifestyle.

Many people will agree that it is sometimes tough to come home from a hectic day at work or school and be able to sit quietly to meditate.

Osho believes that doing this is opening yourself to the awareness of the chaos inside and around you which makes it all the more difficult to get the expected value out of your meditation session.

However, when you do a series of activities that help you channel out all the disappointments and pressure, you are able to relax, feel lighter, peaceful and more positives that will make for a better meditation experience.

There are 5 critical stages of dynamic meditation that mainly involve deep and fast breathing, letting your body express itself through shouting, screaming, laughing, crying, shaking, dancing, or any other way and being a witness to what is happening in and around you, and then celebrating.

How Dynamic Meditation is Different From Other Forms of Meditation

With other forms of meditation such as mindfulness meditation, Vipassana meditation, chakra meditation and transcendental meditation, just to name a few, getting into the meditative state is immediate. You get to sit down and get yourself to enter a state of calmness, relaxation and wakefulness.

This requires effort and is often hard to achieve and maintain this state due to the chatty nature of the mind. We have thousands of thoughts running across our minds every time and it is hard to calm down all that noise right off the bat. It is done by continuous training of the mind to remain silent, which takes some time to get there fully.

Contrary to this approach, dynamic meditation first seeks to get the mind and body at high tension. By getting into activities that create high tension in the mind and body that makes the two faculties naturally inclined to a state of calmness, mental stillness and relaxation as a way to revitalize.

Dynamic meditation takes advantage of the natural mechanism of the human life. When you are worked out and feeling very exhausted, the next thing you naturally want to do is get a place and time to relax and re-energize yourself.

In the same way, by getting yourself to a point of high tension and pressure you are involved in while doing the practice, you will have an easy time getting into the meditative state as that is what your mind and body will require at the time.

Osho believes that with dynamic meditation, achieving the meditative state is quicker and easier compared to sitting meditations.

Dynamic meditation is also believed to the best form of Catharsis (the process of releasing and thereby providing relief from strong or surprised emotions).

Benefits of Dynamic Meditation

A good deal of studies have been done in dynamic meditation and they have revealed the numerous benefits that the practice offers. While more research is needed on the practice, the studies done on it thus far have showed that it has great potential in improving various physical, mental and emotional aspects of our lives (1).

Here are the benefits linked to practicing dynamic meditation:

1. Reduces stress – Studies on dynamic meditation have showed that it helps to produce anti stress effects that greatly reduce high stress levels. Through the technique, people are able to release all the repressed emotions, traumas and psychological inhibitions. This has shown the ability of the practice to help manage stress related physical and mental health disorders (2).

2. Improves mental health – A group of 30 participants were taken through 21 days of dynamic meditation training and the results showed that their mental health improved in a bigger way than the other group that didn’t get the meditation training (3)(4).

3. Enhances emotional stability – Through the practice, you are able to become more stable emotionally as it helps you release the emotional tension that has built up over the years as well as the pressure that comes with your daily schedule. The practice provides a channel to let out all the emotional build up through crying, laughing, shouting, jumping, screaming and intense breathing that helps you stabilize your emotions in the long run.

4. Improves level of awareness – As with many forms of meditation, dynamic meditation gives you the opportunity to reflect on the inside and become a witness to all that is going on in and around you. With time and consistent practice, you are able to gain awareness.

5. Brings peace, calmness, harmony and happiness – Having the ability to let go of the stress and tension that you build up through the various tasks of your typical day helps to bring the mind and body to peace and harmony. You get to have a balanced state of mind and mental clarity. When you do it consistently, it contributes to inner harmony, calmness and improves your overall well-being.

How to Do Dynamic Meditation

As a beginner, it is highly recommended that you do dynamic meditation under the guidance of an instructor. This way you will be able to understand how to do the practice accurately. There are numerous Osho dynamic meditation centers around the world where you can get the training.

You should check online to see the nearby centers and get to attend the 21 days retreat for training on the practice. The retreat will ground you on the principles of the practice, help you know how to execute each step properly and answer all the questions you may have.

Osho, the founder of this practice, insists that you should first get guidance on it and then you do it on your own later on. Meditating in groups is also encouraged rather than doing it alone. Although, you should remember to focus on yourself even while meditating in a group.

The exercise takes about 1 hour and the meditator is encouraged to wear loose clothing and to have eaten a moderate amount of food, without over feeding.

Here are the steps to follow when doing dynamic meditation on your own after the retreat:

Stage 1 (goes for 10 minutes) – Breathe fast, deeply and intensely without following any pattern. Your main focus should be on the exhalation as the body naturally takes care of the inhalation. Use any movements of your body to help you achieve this. When you build up energy by doing this, hold it and don’t let it go.

Stage 2 (goes for 10 minutes) – Go all out on everything. Let everything go, release the tension and allow your body to express itself the way it likes. Don’t hold anything back. You can scream, cry, shout, laugh, jump, sing, shake, dance or kick, whichever way you like. Don’t allow the rational mind to get in the way. A good way to kick start this phase is by acting up. It helps the natural desire to express yourself to kick in.

Stage 3 (goes for 10 minutes) – Now raise your hands above your head and start jumping up and down while chanting the mantra “Hoo!” “Hoo!” “Hoo!” as deeply as you can. With each jump, feel the mantra deep within you. As you touch the ground, feel it within your sex center. Do it as best as you can until exhaustion overtakes you.

Stage 4 (goes for 15 minutes) – Now stop and freeze. Stand like a statue without any pattern or specific position. You should remain in just the same position you find yourself at that particular time. Now focus and witness everything that is happening to you. Don’t make any more movements or do anything else. Just simply be a witness.

Stage 5 (goes for 15 minutes) – Now it is time to celebrate. With the Osho music playing, dance and feel free to express yourself in any way you like. Spill this alertness and wakefulness over to your entire day.

In case you are meditating in a place where you can’t make any sounds, Osho recommends doing stage 2, 3 and 5 without making sounds. You can do the explode through movements of your body while chanting the mantra silently and dancing expressively.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) on Dynamic Meditation

Question: How long does it take to see good results?

Answer: Osho, himself, in regard to this question, says it takes a good deal of time. On the minimum, you need at least 3 weeks to get a good feel of the practice and then about 3 months for the practice to be deeply ingrained in you for you to feel the benefits. However, this is not the exact time period for everyone as we are all different. The most important thing to keep in mind is the intensity. With this, you can even start to experience the benefits in a matter of days.

Question: Is there any other time which I can do the practice other than early morning?

Answer: It is strongly recommended that you do it in the morning. Preferably at 6 in the morning. At this time, just when you have woken up, you are able to be in good touch with your self, your inner being. During this time, your external world has not woken and your mind has not been caught up in the troubles and weight of the world’s burden of thought, confusion and pressure. So, it is easier to go deep within yourself as well as in the practice and get to experience the session at a much deeper level than when you do it another time of the day.

Question: Do I have to put effort into being aware?

Answer: Awareness is not a result of effort. It is a state that floods you when you are relaxed. It comes from nowhere and takes over your self. Therefore, you don’t need to make any effort to being aware. This will only make it hard for you.

In essence, dynamic meditation requires time and practice to get better at it. As with all other forms of meditation, it is fairly difficult to practice as a beginner.

But as you do it frequently, you get a good grasp of it and you are able to do it better as well as experience its full benefits

The secret to getting good at it is to start immediately. Add it to your daily schedule and stick to it.

You can also use guided meditation resources for it such as meditation apps, online groups, audios and videos. They will help you learn the practice faster even as you have a full experience of it.