I absolutely love doing meditation with cats.
My three little babies, Willow, Sebastian, and Pumpkin, are such angels. Each one of them is beautiful and has their own unique personality. Pumpkin is the “lad” of the house and a real boy-cat. Sebastian is the most beautiful cat in the world and looks and acts like a catwalk model (pun intended). And Willow is my baby girl who is so loving you could cuddle her all day long.
I love being with my cats. But more than anything, I love meditating with cats.
I’ve always been a cat lover. I think cats are the most beautiful animals in the world. They’re totally Zen too. Eckhart Tolle [author of one of the best Mindfulness And Meditation Books Ever, The Power Of Now] said, “I’ve lived with several Zen masters. They were all cats”. Cats are so Zensational.
If you think about it, cats have all the characteristics you try to get from meditating. They are pure, calm, in-the-moment, and Zen. And that is why you might like to meditate with cats.
By meditating with your cat not only do you get to feel so much closer to them, you also soak-up those Zen-like qualities that cats possess.
Let me show you how I meditate with my cats, and some other mindfulness ideas for pet owners.
Let me show you how to get the most out of meditation.
Come meditate with me today!
Meditation With Cats (Or Other Pets)
Script For Meditation With Cats
- Take 20 mindful breaths to relax and focus your mind.
- Invite your cat to join you (you can either let your cat sit on your lap, pick up and cuddle your cat, or lie down together). Your cat should be close enough that you can easily hear him or her purring. Close your eyes.
- Listen to your cat purring. Focus your mind 100% on the purring. The purring sound is the “object” of this meditation.
- Meditating on your cat’s purr, begin to quieten your mind. Aim to make your mind one with the sound of your cat’s purr. If thoughts or feelings enter your mind, peacefully acknowledge them and return to meditating on your cat. You should feel as though your mind is inside your cat’s purr, as though you are one with the sound.
- Continue for 108 breaths.
This is a modified version of Bhakti Meditation.
Bhakti Meditation is one of the types of meditation in used yoga. We traditionally use this method to show love and devotion, you know, the kind of love we all feel for our cats. Of course, Bhakti was originally done to meditate on Gods. But, cats are kinda gods anyway…
With this method, you will feel closer to your cat(s) than ever before. You will feel a true sense of love and oneness. Of course, it will also be relaxing and will focus your mind, like most meditations do. However, it will also deepen your connection to your cat.
You can also do this same method with other animals. Simply listen to the sound of your animal’s breathing and meditate on it as we did above.
More Ideas For Mindfulness With Animals
The above method is definitely my favourite way to meditate with my cats, but there are lots of other mindfulness exercises you can do with cats too.
For instance, you could try mindfully drawing or painting a picture of your pets. This is a very relaxing exercise, and you end up with a beautiful piece of art (hopefully!).
You might like to sit with your cat while your cat is gazing out the window. Willow and Sebastian spend hours every day just sitting by the window in the lounge and watching the world outside. Why not sit with your cats and mindfully observe the world outside the window.
And of course, you can’t beat simply playing with your cat in a mindful way. Just get a piece of string for your cat to chase and mindfully observe that beautiful, playful energy that cats have when they are just having fun. Purrfect!
Paul Harrison is a passionate meditation teacher who believes in genuine, authentic meditation. He has more than 15 years experience in meditation and mindfulness. He studied meditation in beautiful Oxford, UK, and Hamilton Ontario Canada, and earned his degree at Staffordshire University.
“My goal is to provide the most authentic meditation sessions so you can harness the power of your own mind for personal transformation” – Paul Harrison