Active Meditation is an evolutionary process of being in activity while simultaneously witnessing what is – our body movements, thoughts, emotions, and the activity itself.

There are several very powerful active meditation techniques devised by Osho for the contemporary men and women. They have been practiced by millions of people around the globe since the early 1970’s with outstanding results. These meditation techniques aid the modern-day seeker to experience inner silence and stillness a lot faster than what can be achieved through a long practice of passive sitting.

The Osho Active Meditation techniques incorporate a sequence of four to five stages and come with pre-recorded CDs, which help the meditator to playfully transition from one stage to the next. While practicing them, you can laugh, cry, jump, shake, run, hum, shout, dance, and be free to express whatever you have been suppressing. Once what has been repressed is released, it becomes much easier to experience deep inner stillness in the silent phase of the meditation.

Passive Verses Active Meditation

At their core, there is no difference between active and passive meditations. Their intent is the same – to empty the mind and help you strengthen your inner witness.

Traditionally, meditation has been practiced through passive sitting and watching the breath, body, and mind. This meditation technique is known as Vipassana and was devised by the Buddha 2,500 years ago. Passive sitting and observation was much easier to practice in Buddha’s time because people lived closer to nature and were more relaxed and heart-centered than we are today.

Our modern lifestyle is dramatically different. We function at a much higher speed and are overwhelmed with information overload. We are bombarded with electromagnetic waves that undermine out immune system, and advertising that feeds our desire for material things. We have a poor diet, lack sleep and our stress levels are very high. When we are faced with this increasingly fast-paced lifestyle and are preoccupied with worries and aches and pains, quieting the mind through passive sitting becomes a monumental task that very few are able to achieve.

The quickest way to relax and experience a peaceful meditative state of pure consciousness in this day and age is through active meditation. Many people find active meditations easier and more enjoyable to practice because they help to quickly release accumulated stress from the body and mind, and allow even the busiest minds to experience silent gaps of inner peace with much less effort.