5 Misconception You May Have About Meditation
Meditation is a way to teach your mind how to be in the present moment.
Now, there are many reasons why people think that they shouldn’t or cannot meditate, but the thing is - you don’t meditate for the sake of meditating in silence for 10, 20, 30 minutes a day.
You meditate in order to train your mind to stay focused on what is, to slow down time and resist reacting blindly to see the whole picture more easily and, after all, to train mind-body awareness, the key to presence and healing.
When we meditate, or even just take a few.deep.breaths.in - we signal to our brain that we are safe. We deactivate fight-flight-freeze, and instead engage the parasympathetic nervous system.
This allows us to rest, it allows the body to heal, and this restorative state is absolutely crucial for wellbeing and even longevity.
According to Alan Fogel, this will send us on a beautiful, magical path of true feeling, of letting go of thoughts and judgment.
Meditation, while you find it difficult - really is one of the best ways to create an equilibrium in your life that leans more towards rest and less towards stress (if your external circumstances allow).
So, let’s have a look at a few misconceptions that you may have around meditation:
1) There is a right way to meditate
There isn’t.
There are many different traditional ways and potentially countless modern ways to meditate.
The one you may be thinking of is a practice where you sit down cross-legged on a meditation cushion, eyes closed.
But there are many other ways you can practice mind-body alignment.
For example, you don’t have to sit down on a meditation cushion.
You can sit anywhere in a position that allows you to focus and yet be relaxed.
You can sit on the floor, a couch, a chair.
When you sit in a chair, it is recommended to have the feet sitting solid on the floor.
But you can also sit in your bed or even lie in bed.
When you lie down, it is recommended to leave arms and legs uncrossed.
So, keep your limbs straight to avoid any artificially created tension.
But you don’t even have to sit or lie - you can also walk.
There are walking meditations, there is Tai Chi and Qi Gong where you also practice mind body alignment.
And then, of course, there is yoga.
Regarding your eyes - you don’t have to keep them closed either.
If you choose to sit or lie down, but you feel uncomfortable with your eyes shut, keep them open.
But try to open them in a relaxed way and soften your gaze.
2 ) I am not good at meditation because I can’t stop thinking
If your mind is wandering and you begin to think about the past or future, start planning or worrying, let me tell you this:
Congratulations! Your brain is healthy and you are alive.
This is your brain in healthy action - in what is called the default mode network.
This is the place where your brain hangs out when your are not “doing anything”, when your brain doesn’t register an “active” activity.
And this default state activates the same areas in your brain as those that are dedicated to processing thoughts about past events and to thinking ahead to the future.
So, this covers self- and other-focused daydreaming, reviewing situations in your life, rehearsing for a future event, mind-wandering, and more.
It is the default state of your brain to wander, think, plan, reminisce …
And when you sit down to meditate or you lie in bed with you eyes gently opened or closed - your brain labels that as a non-activity and settles for the default state since no specific brain activity is required for a “non-activity”.
And that is why you begin to think about the past and the future when you sit in silence.
And, my dear friend, that is why meditation is designed to train your brain to be in the present moment when doing an activity of silence.
So that you can come back to the present moment when you do do an active activity or when you get caught up in thoughts, anxiety, or worries.
3) I need to overcome my wandering thoughts
You don’t need to overcome your wandering thoughts.
Like explained above, there is a reason why your brain keeps wandering.
So, what do you do when it does?
The goal is not to rid your mind of thoughts or to clear your mind of thoughts.
The practice is to notice when your mind is wandering, to not label or analyse the thought, to not judge yourself for a wandering mind (just like you don’t judge yourself for, say, digesting), and to not get lost in the storyline of your thought.
So, when you notice that your mind has been wandering, you can quietly think to yourself “thinking”.
If it has been specifically planning or worrying or remembering, you can think that to yourself, “planning”, “worrying, “remembering” – but only if it does not require you to analyse the nature of your thought.
Remember, you are not trying to overcome your thoughts.
You are training your mind to recognise when it is thinking to break free from habitual, unconscious behaviour and instead reside more in the present moment to find peace, bliss, truth and happiness.
4 ) I don’t have enough time to meditate
You don’t need much time to meditate.
I mean, of course, you will benefit most from a regular sitting, say every day for 20 minutes.
But take what you can get.
If 20 minutes doesn’t work for you right now, you can practice for 5 minutes during your day.
The goal of meditation is to prepare yourself for the rollercoaster that is your everyday, to calm your mind in stressful situations, to remain in control of your thoughts, words and actions, to respond and not to react.
And the training can happen in 5 minutes or 1 minute if needs to, as long as you do it on a regular basis.
When you walk to the local shops and are waiting for the lights to go green, THAT is when you can practice noticing your breath.
When you are stuck in early morning traffic, THAT is when you can practice noticing your thoughts.
When you are waiting for a friend, THAT is when you can practice noticing sounds around you without labelling, analysing or judging.
You can use any “idle” waiting period as your meditation practice time. That is the perfect time to rest and become present. You can read more about the importance of slowing down and the four key effects of REST here.
But let me tell you this, too. Just bear with me.
You do have all the time in the world.
It is a matter of prioritising how you spend your time.
It is about recognising how you spend your time.
It is about recognising and understanding that happiness comes in moments where you are present, in timeless moments.
To create more of those, you practice meditation so that you can apply the ability to be present to your every day.
So, it is about understanding what the benefits are of spending time in stillness, practicing mind-body alignment and loving awareness.
You do have the time, my dear friend.
5 ) Meditation needs to happen in solitude
You may be thinking of a monk who wandered off their village to live in a cave and meditate in solitude for a few days/weeks/months/years.
Then you are thinking of a master.
But you don’t have to meditate in solitude on your own.
In fact, meditation can work a lot better for you in a group because it is motivating and inspiring to sit with others and the energy can heighten everyones vibration.
For me, personally, the effects of meditation are a lot stronger when I meditate in a group guided by a meditation teacher - in real life or online.
There is something about the group effort, the group concentration the clearer dedication of time and space to practice being in the present moment.
So, don’t be shy and try it out. You may be surprised.
