If you're not the 'type' who likes traditional mind-body therapy like sitting meditation, don't despair. With a variety of mind-body practices suited to your personality, you don't have to take a detour from the road to enlightenment. You only have to customize your roadmap!
As the ancient Chinese poet Sengcan says, "The way is not difficult for those who have no preferences." But, for most of us, our preferences drive our motivation and inspiration. And, what you prefer, according to Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessments, says it all about your personality type.
How do you meditate?
There are many other ways to reap the spiritual, physical and emotional benefits of meditation. From yoga to tai-chi to walking meditation, there's sure to be a mind-body therapy to suit every personality type.
What are Myers-Briggs Personality Types?
Myers-Briggs personality types are based on the theories of psychiatrist Carl Jung. The assessment uses four basic social interaction styles and pairs of preferences for approaching each interaction which are then combined into 16 distinct personality types.
If you don't know your Myers-Briggs type, take the test here:
Myers-Briggs 'type' indicator and use it to help you find your perfect mind-body therapy match.
The Four Preference Styles for Myers-Briggs Assessments
Introversion and Extroversion
Introvert (I) - You prefer to focus on your own inner world. You get your energy and inspiration from ideas, images, your own thought process, and need alone time in order to 'recharge.' You are seen as introspective, enjoy solitude and prefer a few close friends to a large network of people.
Extrovert (E) - You prefer to put your focus outward, taking your cues from people and things outside yourself. You pick up your energy from other people and groups. You are seen as outgoing, enjoy bouncing ideas off other people, and put most of your plans and ideas into action.
Sensing and Intuition
Sensing (S) - You prefer to take information about and from the world at face value. You are practical, realistic and rely on your five senses to inform your daily life.
Intuitive (N) - You prefer to add your own interpretations and meaning to information about the world and take guidance from your inner voice. You are attuned to your sixth sense and sensitive to theories, patterns, symbols and concepts of past and future.
Feeling and Thinking
Feeling (F) - When it comes to decision making, you prefer to take things on an individual basis, factoring in other people's personal circumstances before making judgement calls or deciding on a course of action in situations.
Thinking (T) - You prefer to look at logic and precedence when making a decision.
Perceiving and Judging
Perceiving (P) - You prefer to stay open to new ideas and information. You are flexible, adaptable and spontaneous.
Judging (J) - You prefer a more structured, scheduled lifestyle rather than having to adapt to surprises or sudden changes.
Here are the 16 personality type combinations and the mind-body practice best suited to them:
Myers-Briggs Types and Mind-Body Therapies
ISTJ - Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging:
You like harmony and order and have a strong sense of justice. You actually like conforming to laws of the land, and rules and traditions bring you comfort. You are diligent and industrious but like to spend your energy on things that have a practical application.
Your Mind-Body Type
You might benefit best from Whole Body Tapping. Tapping is fun and easy but also has a serious purpose. Whole Body Tapping opens your meridians, increases circulation, releases muscle tension, improves digestion and elimination of metabolic waste and elevates mood by resetting your neural activity. The best part about Whole BodyTapping for ISTJs is how meditative yet energizing at the same time it is.
ISFJ - Introvert, Sensing, Feeling, Judging:
You are the 'nurturer' of the group. You are warm, generous, and dependable. You value harmony and cooperation. You are very sensitive to other's feelings and have a strong ability to keep things running smoothly. But you also tend to be overly critical of yourself. While you find it very easy to listen purposefully to others, you can fall into the trap of thinking nobody is listening to you.
Your Mind-Body Type
You could use some TLC - Tender Loving Chakras. Caretakers are often the first to sacrifice 'me' time and the last to ask for help. Find some time to light a candle, take a deep breath and a bubble bath, then enjoy a chakra balancing meditation such as Root Chakra Meditation for building confidence and grounding yourself for a deeper sense of security and self nurturing.
INFJ - Introvert, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging:
You are the protective type. You are gentle, caring and highly intuitive. INFJs also tend to be artistic and creative. Because you are so sensitive, you don't handle conflict very well and tend to be hard on yourself when you don't meet your own high, self-imposed expectations for achievement.
Your Mind-Body Type
You watchful types could benefit from Third Eye balancing. Keeping one's eyes open to signs, symbols and possibilities is a good thing, but you tend to become stuck in hypervigilant mode once in a while. You could use some restful shut eye from time to time to restore a balanced view of life. Third Eye Meditation (Video) exercises can help get everything back in perspective.
INTJ - Introvert, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging:
Your logical, rational mind makes you the scientist of the bunch. You live in a world of ideas and strategizing and value knowledge. This also makes you seem aloof and you tend to be misunderstood by others and are prone to having poor communication skills.
Your Mind-Body Type
You would enjoy a mind-body practice that is physically challenging and spiritually balancing.
Bowing exercise, similar to Hatha Yoga Sun Salutation, is an easy yet energizing, transformative practice that focuses the mind, tones the body, improves circulation and helps brain function. See if you can get to 100!
ISTP - Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving:
You are mechanically minded and love to take things apart and see the way they work. You're good at logical analysis have strong powers of reasoning. You have an adventuresome spirit and thrive on action. However, your sense of adventure and desire for constant action also makes you easily bored.
Your Mind-Body Type
What could be more fun for a mechanic type than to play with magnets? Magnetic Meditation is a powerful, easy way to literally put energy in the palm of your hand.
ISFP - Introvert, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving:
You are the creative type. ISFPs have a strong affinity for aesthetics and beauty and many of you are artists. You also tend to be quiet and reserved, so can come across as isolating and may have difficulty forming close or intimate relationships which can be emotionally painful for you.
Your Mind-Body Type
Tap into EFT for emotional freedom. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a combination of body tapping and self-hypnosis.
The beauty of EFT is, you can do it wherever you are. Standing in line, at your desk or even before you get out of bed in the morning, all you need are your fingertips and your breath to reframe negative thoughts and create emotional peace.
INFP - Introvert, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving:
More than any other type you are focused on making the world a better place. Your primary goal is to find out your purpose in life and how to best serve humanity.You can also come off as emotionally reserved even though you care deeply about people are genuinely interested in understanding them.
Your Mind-Body Type
Practice Creative Visualization with Mindscreen. Mindscreen is a simple, yet powerful tool to maximize the effectiveness of your Creative Visualizations. Try these relaxation techniques to prepare your mindscreen and give your visualizations a creative boost so your altruism reaches its target more often.
INTP - Introvert, Intuitive, Thinking, Perceiving:
You see the possibilities in everything and are always looking for ways the world could be improved. Your intense analytical powers make you a social pioneer or thought leader. You are not the touchy feely type, so others may also perceive you as a bit aloof.
Your Mind-Body Type
One of the most popular styles of strength training yoga is Ashtanga. You'll like the sheer willpower and driving force you'll need to keep up with these poses. If you are not very flexible are lack body strength for some poses you can use straps, blocks, blankets or other props to modify the poses. Ashtanga is a fluid, strengthening and invigorating workout that encourages deep focus and expanded awareness.
ESTP - Extrovert, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving:
ESTPs are outgoing, straightforward types. You have a great deal of enthusiasm and excitement about life and like to be "in the action." You are able to dive right into things, take risks and are not afraid to get your hands dirty. You have a strong flair for drama and style. You are practical, observant and fun-loving, and are good at improvising to solve a problem. Your least developed area is your intuition so you tend to not trust your instincts and are prone to be suspicious of other people's intuition.
Your Mind-Body Type
Don't second guess yourself. Banish your self-doubt with QiGong to Build Confidence. QiGong provides a quiet place to tune into your intuitive impressions, allowing you to hear the messages they are sending. When you trust yourself you are more effective out in the world.
ESFP - Extrovert, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving:
ESFPs have very strong inter-personal skills, and you may find yourself in the role of the peacemaker frequently. You make decisions based on your personal values. You are usually very sympathetic and concerned for other people's well-being. You also have a keen sense of observation and tend to be very empathetic.You tend to not like giving advice but you do "go with the flow" in situations. You learn best through hands-on experience rather than by book study.
Your Mind-Body Type
Ji-gam is an energy awareness meditation exercise that develops the sixth sense so you can learn to feel Qi more readily. You'll also like the fact that Ji-gam focuses on the hands because they are one of the most sensitive parts of the body. Ji-gam slows brain waves, bringing you to a much deeper state of awareness than you experience in regular daily life.
ENFP - Extrovert, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving:
You are warm and enthusiastic with a bright personality. You live in the world of possibilities and are very passionate. Your enthusiasm is an inspiration to others and you are a great motivator. You are also prone to scattered thoughts and can sometimes have trouble following through on projects.
Your Mind-Body Type
Take an unstructured journey with Walking Meditation requires little preparation and is self-directed. There are no scores to keep, rules to follow or pace to set. Walking allows you to organize your thoughts and shape your goals, literally, one step at a time. It unwinds your mind and gives breathing room to your imagination. The best part about walking meditation is, wherever you wind up your journey, you'll always find that you've arrived at your destination.
ENTP - Extrovert, Intuitive, Thinking, Perceiving:
Your extroverted intuition makes you highly interested in life and understanding the world around you. You easily absorb ideas and images about the situations surrounding you and use your intuition to process information. You are very perceptive and are more attuned to your environment than any of the other types, making you a quick thinker and a visionary. You see the possibilities in life and can offer creative solutions to problems.
Your Mind-Body Type
Take your mind on safari with Nature Meditation course. Nature Meditation enhances your capacity to experience and communicate with the tremendous living world that exists all around and within you. By tapping into the natural elements, you can encounter the earth's wisdom and witness principles of life that are both hidden and pervasive in the natural world.
ESTJ - Extrovert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging:
Similar to ESFJs you value continuity and order. Your organizational skills are first rate and you're a sucker for details. You like joining groups and actually love belonging to big organizations.
Your Mind-Body Type
You'd love Kundalini Yoga. Based on the "healthy, happy, holy" principle, this once secretive yoga practice is now popular in the west. It focuses on proper alignment, smooth posture transitions and controlled breathing exercises to access the kundalini energy, said to be a serpent coiled at the base of the spine, and awaken it to rise through each chakra.
ESFJ - Extrovert, Sensing, Feeling, Judging:
You share some traits with ESTJs, like order and feeling at home in the world and with large groups. You are also very interested in others. You love people and like to make people feel good. You have a warm and energetic personality.
Your Mind-Body Type
Give Reiki a whirl. Reiki, a technique based on the principle that a person can channel energy into another person simply by means of touch, to activate a person's own natural healing process,whether giving it or receiving it, is a perfect mind-body practice for the energy-sensitive and people-loving ESFJ.
ENFJ - Extrovert, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging:
ENFJs are charming, warm, gracious and creative. You have great people skills and like to bring out the best in people. You dislike being alone and fill your life with activities that involve other people. You are energetic and fast-paced but also like things organized and are prone to be overbearing.
Your Mind-Body Type
Ecstatic Dance is the antidote for the overly organized. What starts out as clear instructions and group interaction spins out of your controlling mind and into blissful states of awareness of the larger picture, all while being with a group of people.
ENTJ - Extrovert, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging:
ENTJs are natural born leaders. You are the take charge type. You are extroverted and love to interact with people. Lively, challenging conversation is one of your greatest pleasures. You have excellent verbal skills and high self-confidence. Because of this, you can seem intimidating to others. Still, you have great determination and the ability to reach any goals you set for yourself.
Your Mind-Body Type
Hatha Yoga, Pilates or Position Therapy would suit you well. Also, they say you learn best by teaching and, as an ENTJ, you might consider teacher training in any number of mind-body practices. From yoga instructor to tai-chi master, teaching is fertile soil for your personal growth.
Take the test and let us know in our comments section what you learned about your type and how you put it into practice!