How to meditate in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

You might find it counterintuitive to think that an action-packed video game like SkyrimI can create this stillness within my mind.

I’ve played the fifth Elder Scrolls game on repeat since it was released in 2011. I’ve tackled dungeons, battled dragons, and been accused of having my sweet roll stolen more times than I count. However, the more I revisit it, the more I discover that I simply want to take everything… slower.

When playing in this mindful state, I forgo fast travel and hit the ground on foot, letting the scenery guide me to a place so stunning that I can’t help but stop and take in the moment. If I’m lucky, I’ll catch a glimpse of the northern lights, and I’ll stay and watch an ocean of colors dance across the digital sky.

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It is a great reward to seek these locations out, especially after doing long and difficult battles or doing epic quests. I remember climbing up High Hrothgar and fighting the 7,000-step climb, as well as grappling with frost trolls along the route. It is well worth the effort, especially when you hear the icy winds blowing my ears and the soothing soundtrack.

There are moments in the game that encourage gentle play. Eldergleam Sanctuary was only discovered by chance when I found it. With dual-wielding blades at my disposal, I sneaked in and was ready to face any enemy that might come along the way.

Imagine my surprise to find that I was greeted by two goddess Kynareth followers, who just spent their time admiring the beauty of the flowing waterfalls, overgrown root systems, and sprawling branches from an ancient central tree. The sight was so beautiful that I stopped.

Meditation within gaming is often associated with a “flow state,” which psychologists theorize can be achieved with titles like TetrisA task where one user is focused. Within the program, there are many tasks. SkyrimThis style of play could also be associated with cooking, alchemy, and smithing. The immersion in an RPG, and the tranquil surroundings that it creates elevates this idea to another level of mindfulness.

Thomas McConkie is the founding father of Lower Lights School of Wisdom, and he’s currently studying to transformative practices at Harvard University. I was interested in exploring this possibility. He is the host. Mindfulness plusPodcast where he talks about topics such as how technology can be used to increase and express mindfulness awareness.

His belief is that role-playing can be used as a character in games like SkyrimIt is actually a powerful tool to help you meditate.

“We know from Buddhism (and personal experience) that excessive self-reference and self-clinging make us unhappy,” he wrote via email. “In response, Buddhists developed a practice in the Tibetan tradition known as Deity Yoga.

“It’s a sophisticated tradition, more than I can sum up all at once here, but the transformative element consists in learning to decentrate our sense of self. That is, by putting all of our mindful awareness into another being, we gain insight into the arbitrary nature of identification in the first place.”

As such, he believes that it doesn’t matter if you’re role-playing as a Nord Stormcloak rebel or a Khajiit thief. If you find your inner peace within the game there’s a possibility that you will still be playing the same way as you did before.

These opportunities can also be provided by other open-world gaming, like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildOder Wild Hunt: The Witcher 3. However, this Bethesda classic has the strongest hold on me, and I can’t help but wonder how much nostalgia plays a part in this.

If SkyrimMy personal life was very difficult at the time I was being released. I was looking for an escape and a way to explore a wild, beautiful wilderness. Now every time I load up a save file, it feels like coming home — I can find a new place that I haven’t discovered yet and go back to that state of simply being (providing a sabre cat doesn’t drop in for a surprise visit).

The familiar sensation is made more real for me by the Nordic landscape and haunting music. McConkie was open to the idea that visual and auditory elements are a good tool for meditation, provided they can help you focus on the present moment. What’s more, you can enhance these moments throughout your day-to-day life.

“To boost your mindfulness experience with Skyrim, or any game or activity, you can practice keeping some attention on physical sensation and emotion at all times, and having an attitude of openness and willingness to feel everything you’re feeling,” he wrote. Furthermore, he claimed that this can lead to the “mindfulness skill of equanimity,” which in its simplest form means to accept situations for what they are, even if they are difficult.

Play again next time SkyrimTo be aware, find some quiet space in your home and go there. Being present in the moment is its own state of comfort, even if it’s in a virtual, dragon-filled world.