How to Meditate on the Go (Using Jewelry!)

The fact that meditation is good for you has become fairly common knowledge, but knowing that it’s good for you is one thing — making time and space to actually do it is another.

Carole Shashona knows that as well as anyone, and after establishing a career as the first female Grand Master in Feng Shui, she began to look for ways to make meditation accessible for people who simply don’t have the time to sit in silence for an hour a day but still want to reap the benefits of a meditation practice. For more than 25 years, she’s combined Western design influences (she called Andy Warhol a friend and mentor) with her Eastern background to help clients (celebs included!) find just a little more peace in their lives.

And she does it using gorgeous, symbolic jewelry. Perfect, right?

We recently had a chance to talk to Carole — she was such a delight, chatting away and answering our questions, occasionally excusing herself to tend to her Shih Tzu, Tai Chi, which completely endeared her to this pet-loving FBG. For someone with such an exciting background and incredible clientele, she was incredibly down to earth. We’re thrilled to share a few of her thoughts on jewelry and meditation on the go!

How Feng Shui and meditation are similar: We have to remember that meditation is really no different than uncluttering our home — it’s uncluttering the mind.

On meditation and guilt: Meditation is nurturing your soul — we can do this without feeling guilty. People will say, “I don’t have time for it,” and I say, “Give me three minutes.” And in three minutes they change. People don’t take time for themselves; they feel selfish. But they shouldn’t. If we keep giving, giving, giving, we’re just draining our energy. Meditation allows us to reboot.

Why she started her line of jewelry for meditation: It began in the taxi cabs of New York, when I was working in the art of Feng Shui, going from one client to another, and everyone is stressed out. I started creating jewelry [to bring a focus to short, on-the-go, taxi cab meditations], and I started with bracelets, because, in Hong Kong, people wore jade on their bracelets to ward off all evil. There’s a whole history of jewelry as protection in art, so I started exploring that a little more, and there are so many cultures that share this history of jewelry as protection. Every religion has an association of stones and meaning, for lack of a better word.

Also, Feng Shui is all about symbols, about what it is you want to manifest. People say, “What if we’re not symbolic?” But we are! We salute the flag, we all know that the color green is equal to a dollar bill. We’re very symbolic as a culture.

[In my line of jewelry,] I have symmetry with the center representing the person, a stone on either side to represent male and female, a coin for protection, and spacers. The coin has a square representing heaven and earth, but I’ve used other symbols as well — goddesses as a symbol of empowerment within the self, or a lotus to represent beauty from the murky darkness. [Regardless of what’s on the coin,] you can simply hold that coin and do your meditations on the go, wherever you are, whether it’s in the back of a cab or in a space in your home.

How to choose the right stone or piece of jewelry for your practice: I find that, the jewelry you are most attracted to is the right jewelry for you — that’s the intuitive self guiding you. Go with your heart, not your head. If the amethyst looks correct, that’s the right one. Hold it in your hand a moment, close your eyes and see how you feel. Breathe in, breathe out. See what it brings up, like memories or issues, and take note. If it feels right, hang on to it. If it doesn’t, let it go.

But you need more than the right jewelry: The most important thing I want to say is that I don’t believe you can buy peace, serenity, prosperity. You go into a store and see love or prosperity written out or in symbols on items, but you just have to follow your heart to choose what’s right for you.

Carole has some meditations, videos (with Tai Chi in a starring role!) and more on her site that you might want to check out, and if you ever get a chance to attend an event where she’s speaking? Do it.

Do you use any stones, crystals, jewelry or symbols when you meditate? If not, would you consider it? I have a few pieces that I like to use, but it’s always nice when a meaningful stone moonlights as an attractive piece of jewelry! —Kristen