What’s up with crystals and stones anyway? Many of you may have been into those shops that sell crystals, or maybe your local yoga studio has a few lying around, or maybe you have a friend who’s into them. But what are they for, and how can you get the most out of them?
The basic idea underlying meditating with crystals is that all matter is energy, and that different stones have a different energetic vibration that you can utilize while meditating.
Think of it like food. The makeup of a carrot is different from the makeup of a piece of fish is different from the makeup of a cookie is different from a glass of wine. They taste different, they have different textures, and they metabolize differently in our bodies. We select foods based on a variety of needs and desires, and it’s no different from selecting a stone to use as part of your meditation.
The idea is that the energetic vibration of a stone can supplement your own energy while you’re meditating to enhance your meditation experience, just like adding particular vitamins or minerals to your eating can supplement your nutritional intake.
Although stones are advertised as all having specific energetic properties for different needs, the best way to choose a stone to meditate with it just to go with one that feels right for you. Your body knows what it needs, and learning to really experience how you feel is half of the benefit of meditating with the use of a stone.
Although it might seem like wishy-washy advice to say “just choose what feels right for you,” it’s actually the best advice I can give you in selecting a stone. The reason is that to do so, you’re learning how to:
- Be fully present in yourself.
- Know yourself so intimately that you know what you need.
- Honour and trust your intuition.
Today’s post is all about how to choose a stone, including some troubleshooting. The next post will walk you through how to use the stone in meditation.
Where I learned about meditating with stones
I am not being compensated to share these references.
- Meditation classes at 889 Yoga and The Rock Store in Toronto
- Posts by Rachel Stavis
- By practicing a lot!
So how do I know which stone feels right for me?
Look for a stone that stands out to you. I have meditation stones that I’ve picked up off the ground, and that I’ve purchased at crystal shops. Neither is better than the other.
Step 1: Just look for one that catches your eye.
- Before you pick it up, just tune into yourself for a moment and see how you feel.
- Don’t overthink it, just take a moment to take stock of how you’re feeling.
- Pick up the stone and hold it in your hand.
- When you’re first learning to do this, hold it in your non-dominant hand.
- When you’ve gained more practice over time, you’ll be able to tune into how the stone feels just by looking at it, but when you’re starting out, just pick it up and hold it.
Step 2: Check in again with yourself to see how you feel.
- Try going forth between putting the stone down for a moment, checking in with yourself, then picking it up again and checking in with yourself a few times so you can see the difference.
- How do you feel when you’re holding it?
- Think of it like tasting a new food or trying on a clothing item at the store. You’re feeling out the stone to see if you have a preference for it.
Step 3: Make sure to clean your stone.
You know how it feels when you walk into a room in which two people have had an argument, and you can feel how tense it feels even though they’re not arguing anymore?
Stones, like anything else, hold energy, and it’s important to clean the stone energetically so that you’re getting just its healthy energy before you start using it, and not also the energy of the last person that picked it up and held it, or the energy of the environments in which it’s been stored.
There are lots of ways to clean stones energetically. One will require also purchasing a stick of palo santo (which the crystal shop will sell if you’re buying a stone as opposed to picking it up off the ground).
Stones that can be soaked in water:
Many stones can go into water. If you’re picking up a stone off the ground, it’s likely one that can be cleaned with water.
- Step 1: Put the stone into a non-breakable dish.
- Step 2: Leave it under a running tap for a few minutes.
- It’s okay if it’s just a drizzle of water so you’re not using a huge volume, but it should be running water.
Stones that can’t be soaked in water:
Some stones cannot go into water because they’ll dissolve. If you’re getting the stone at a crystal shop, ask them if it can be cleansed in water.
- Step 1: Hold a piece of palo santo in a flame until it catches the flame or is otherwise smoking nicely.
- Step 2: Hold the stone in the rising smoke, and the smoke will energetically clean it.
Troubleshooting Finding a Stone
If you’re feeling really stuck and can’t tell if you’re feeling a difference
- Don’t worry about why you can’t feel it and don’t get stuck in your head.
- Just pick up another stone that appeals to you.
- Find one that when you hold it, you notice that you feel a preference for holding it. It might just be a subtle difference, so focus on which one you’re feeling a preference for.
If you find a stone that feels good for you but the written description of the stone doesn’t seem to make sense
- Crystal shops tend to include written descriptions of stones, but I suggest not paying attention to those while you’re selecting one.
- Your body and inner wisdom know which stone will be a good fit for you at this time.
- It’s possible the description may align well with your expectations. But if it doesn’t, don’t worry that you’ve chosen wrongly. Trust your senses.
If you’re feeling drawn to a lot of stones
- While there’s nothing wrong with having lots of stones, remember that a stone is simply a tool, and it’s how you use it that matters more than how many or which ones you have.
- I suggest starting with one. Pick the one that feels the best fit when you hold it, and stick with using just that one for awhile.
- Another thing to keep in mind is that as you work with one stone (I’ll cover the how-to in the next post), you’ll find your ability to know which stones feel right for you will be significantly enhanced.
- Working with one stone over time will help you further develop those skills I mentioned earlier of being fully present in yourself, knowing how you feel so well that you know what you need, and honouring and trusting your intuition.
- Working with that one stone for awhile will provide you with a honed sense of which stones are actually useful for you versus which ones may be nice to have but that you don’t really need.
If you’re worried it’ll be expensive
- I suggest not spending much, if anything, on that first stone. There are lots of stones you can purchase at crystal shops for $2 to $5, and I suggest you start with something like that, or find one outdoors. There are so many stones that are available at that price range, that you’ll find you’re able to find one that feels like it’s a good fit.
- As long as it feels good when you hold it, there’s no need to purchase something pricy until you have a better sense of working with stones.
- Obviously how much you spend is a personal decision. Just be aware that you definitely don’t need to spend any money on a meditation stone, or much money, to get started.
- If you’re purchasing one, you can get started for under $10, including both a stone and a stick of palo santo if the stone you picked can’t be soaked in water.
Have fun finding yourself a stone, and watch for my next post on how to meditate with it!