5 Misconceptions About Meditation

So often we associate the meditation with the phrase, "Silence Your Mind." I have found this about as useful as someone telling me not to think of a giant giraffe in a tutu. Of course that's going to make me think of a giant giraffe in a tutu, and in the same way being told to silence my mind is immediately going to make me think about all the extraneous things I have to do today. Instead, I recommend people follow the endeavor from a perspective of increased awareness. Notice the sensations of breathing in and out, watch your thoughts and recognize the power you exert over them. Feel the sensation of your butt against the floor. Take better notice of your posture, and where the tense parts of your body are. I have found that silence in the mind comes as a bi-product of meditating from this perspective, but meditation, for me, has always been about increased awareness, never about silence. 

Inevitably you're going to get distracted during your practice, and it's often at this point that people become frustrated with the whole practice and give up entirely. However, I've found it's during these moments where I notice my distraction and move my focus back to my breath that my practice grows the most. It's okay to have a distracted mind during your practice, just be aware of it.

This is perhaps the most frequent rebuttal I get. People feel as though their morning hours are precious, a sentiment I understand as I love getting my 8 hours, however, meditation, much like going to the gym, creates its own time. It does this by adding to your overall quality of life, and reducing your chance for things like Alzheimer's and dementia. Think of it this way, you could come home and watch T.V. right away, or you could take that time and put it towards something that will overall improve your quality of life. Surely that's worth the time to finish just half an episode of House of Cards.

When people think of meditation, they often envision people sitting with their legs crossed, chanting Om, surrounded by a cloud of incense. However, meditation occurs in any moment you choose to have a focused awareness on the task at hand. I mentioned in a previous post that one can turn their everyday chores into meditation should they choose to do them with an attempt at total awareness. Meditation can be driving in traffic, washing the dishes, even working, so long as they are done with the attempt of increased awareness. It is to attempt these tasks without finding any portion of it mundane or trivial, but each part interesting and new. 

You're never going to have a meditation session that is perfect. You may have some that are pretty darn close, but it's called a practice for a reason. It's going to take time, and unlike working out, you may not feel the results immediately, however, you'll begin to notice them on the little things. One day your food will be late, you'll be waiting in a particularly long line, or your waiter will get your waiter wrong, and instead of being frustrated or discontented, you'll just laugh.

I hope this cleared something up for you if you were unsure of the practice! I've dedicated my life to spreading the benefits of this practice, because I know the incredible change it made in my life. I hope you can find the same transformation I did.