Osho Dynamic Meditation An Alternative to Sitting Practices

The Osho community has pioneered many practical, real-world approaches to spiritual practice that deserve a second look. Despite the cloudy circumstances under which their beloved founder, the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (1931-1990, left the United States in the late 1980s, the community has endured and continues to develop its spiritual technologies in helpful ways.

One of their unusual practices (at least to outsiders) is what they call Osho Dynamic Meditation — which bears a superficial resemblance to Qi Gong and Tibetan yoga (kundalini) exercises but which has its own internal purpose.

Osho taught that meditation simply involves a clearing of the mind, but that a concerted effort to clear the mind by simply sitting is not necessarily the most effective means of doing this. The aim of active meditation is to reach a state of alert non-thought by engaging in intense physical and emotional activities. Though these forms of meditation are very intensive the ultimate goal is to attain a state similar to that aimed towards in forms of seated ‘breathing’ or ‘mantra’ meditations, whilst staying fully aware and conscious of the moment. In this way Osho taught that you will not become lost or distracted in inner thoughts, which can detract from true mindfulness.


The Osho people guard their copyrights very carefully (as they should), so if you want to get the technique straight from the source, go here.

You can also see an extended discussion of Osho Dynamic Meditation at http://activemeditation.com, which has many interesting discussions and lengthy explanations.

Below, is a simplified version of the technique:

The following is correct and most effective version of dynamic meditation technique. It has four stages, each lasting ten minutes.

Stage #1) Start by standing with your eyes closed and breath deep and fast through your nose for ten minutes. Allow your body to move freely. Jump, sway back and forth, or use any physical motion that helps you pump more oxygen into your lungs.

Stage #2) The second ten minute stage is one of catharsis. Let go totally and be spontaneous. You may dance or roll on the ground. For once in your life screaming is allowed and encouraged. You must act out any anger you feel in a safe way, such as beating the earth with your hands. All the suppressed emotions from your subconscious mind are to be released.

Stage #3) In the third stage you jump up and down yelling Hoo!, Hoo!, Hoo! continuously for ten minutes. This sounds very silly, and it is funny, but the loud vibration of your voice travels down to your centers of stored energy and pushes that energy upward. When doing this stage it is important to keep your arms loose and in a natural position. Do not hold your arms over your head as that position can be medically dangerous.

Stage #4) The fourth 10 minute stage is complete relaxation and quiet. Flop down on your back, get comfortable, and just let go. Be as a dead man, totally surrendered to the cosmos. Enjoy the tremendous energy you have unleashed in the first three stages and become a silent witness to the ocean as it flows into the drop. Become the ocean.

This wonderful technique is intended to grow with the student and change as the student changes. After a few years of practicing the method vigorously the first three stages of the meditation should drop away spontaneously. You then go into the meditation hall, take a few deep breaths, and immediately go deep into the ecstasy of the fourth stage. The method is fluid, health giving, and fun. Those new students who wish to experiment with Rajneesh Dynamic Meditation should read the following precautionary steps before experimenting with this powerful technique.

Precautions: Obviously one must practice Dynamic Meditation in a safe location and not near the edge of a cliff or on a hard surface where one might fall and break one’s skull. A large room or hall with thick carpeting is good. Outdoors in the early morning on a soft and well tended lawn with group participation is best. Do it on an empty stomach and avoid falling into dangerous objects such as windows. It is allowable to briefly open one’s eyes occasionally to maintain your location. Create a safety zone around your dancing and spontaneous body movements. Be courteous to neighbors and delete the screaming if it will be heard by others.

Almost all Westerners are head oriented and emotionally repressed. For them a chaotic, spontaneous, and emotionally cleansing technique like this is vital for serious progress to be made quickly. The physical benefits of this technique obviate any need for hatha yoga or traditional kundalini yoga methods.