“You should meditate for 20-minutes everyday unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour” – Zen Proverb
Meditation has been one of the best practices I have ever committed to.
It has helped me immensely in reducing stress, calming the negative mind-chatter, it is why I play nice with others and feel happier over-all. It has helped me kick depression, manage anxiety, over-come insomnia. Through my meditation practice I have cultivated ease in receiving guidance from my invisible friends (it helps me stay aligned) and comes with all kinds of physical health benefits too.
Meditation has become a non-negotiable for me. I choose it every day simply because it helps me feel good. This filters into pretty much every aspect of my life and those good vibes are contagious. The practice of meditation is also at the foundation of all the coaching programs, retreats and classes that I offer and it never fails – people always tell me one of the following three things:
- They have no time to meditate
- They do not know how to meditate
- They tried meditation and it does not work for them
To all of which I reply, “Those are just beliefs and the truth is, you already know how to meditate and actually do it more often than you realize.”
A meditation practice is just about becoming conscious to when you are meditating, how it is that it works best for you and then choosing to do more of it, more often.
I think like everything else, we have a tendency to over-complicate our spiritual practices. The ideals we have about meditation can trip us up and create a barrier to our meditation success.
No, you do not have to sit for long periods of time in the lotus position. Comfort is essential and it takes only a few minutes.
No, you do not need to stop your thoughts. Slowing them down is key.
And yes! There are ways to meditate without feeling like you are meditating.
Let me help you by busting up the meditation myths I shared above:
1.) I have no time to meditate.
I get it. Life is busy. Between work, family, busy kid’s schedules, long commutes and just keeping our head above all our chores at home, there can feel like there is no time. We are right! And the longer we keep telling ourselves that we have no time to meditate, the Universe will continue to make us right about it. The truth is sweet friends, even if you only have 5-minutes, you have time to meditate.
2.) I do not know how to meditate.
Meditation is for everyone. It is as simple as breathing and you already know how to do that. Most meditations begin by sitting in a quiet place, closing the eyes, calming the mind, and focusing on the breath. There’s no need to control your breath at all. Just let it come in and go out as it does naturally; to just pay attention to what you are paying attention to.
3.) I have tried meditation and it doesn’t work for me.
Meditation is not supposed to “work”. This is exactly the point. It is not one more thing to accomplish, to do right. Meditation allows for time to simply be; to take a look inside, to be with what is there. There is not one single ‘correct’ way to meditate. We meditate to see our thoughts. By sitting with our mind, we’re training it to be more open and at ease, and we consequently discover greater calm, clarity, contentment, and compassion as a result.
And if no one has told you – you are successfully meditating every time you meditate. The purpose of meditation is not to change our mind, but to awaken the self that is aware of it….. in there in lies the wild and magnificent adventure.