jungle_toad

I have done many types of meditation over the past 20+ years. Most instructors usually guide people through meditations that are slow and relaxing. I am trying to diversify my meditations at this point, however, so I am wondering if you have any unique ideas for meditation that is more energetic or fast paced?

Relatedly, I am good at doing one thing at a time with focus, which many meditation instructors I have encountered teach. What I am not as good at is cognitive task switching and/or multitasking. For example, if someone asks me a question while I am busy reading, I often don't hear the beginning of what they are saying and it is difficult to shift my attention away from my book. When we are done talking, it then takes me a moment to get back into reading and remember what I just read moments ago. Or another example, if someone is trying to have a conversation with me while I am cooking, I am much more likely to make little errors like accidentally overcooking something or forgetting to add an ingredient. Do you have any unique ideas for meditation practices to improve cognitive task switching or multi-tasking?

Spontaneity and fast responsiveness would certainly count, though I am also thinking speed in motion too, something like meditation involving movement, dance, or martial art.

I appreciate that you are not making claims to be able to alter frontal lobe executive functioning, particularly cognitive flexibility, if you do not have a technique that can do that. To be fair, I have not found any methods in the psychology literature that can clearly improve task switching, cognitive flexibility, or other executive functions either (there are some small studies that claim to, but nothing that is certain). However, neurological synaptic wiring does change, fyi. The brain is more plastic than was realized in decades past. It is not a circuit board that never changes.

What about the question on fast paced or energetic practices though? Silent illumination and loving kindness are great, but don't strike me as fast or energetic.