3 beliefs about meditation that prevent us from doing it
We get stuck on the meaning of meditation. You could call it whatever you want. The point is having inner reflection or total relaxation of the mind. I'm sharing 3 beliefs that people assume about meditation that stop them from doing it.
Mistake #3 (Yeah, let's count it down. Feels more dramatic that way.)
Stopping your thoughts is impossible. There. I said it. We have over 60,000 thoughts every day. Even when we don't think we're thinking... we are.
The key to meditation is to direct your thoughts, not to struggle to control them. An easy way is to create an intention for the meditation. What is the outcome you want? Next, you could repeat a mantra or short affirmation. This helps to direct your thoughts toward your intention while steering it away from those random mind antics that only seem to crop up when you striving for stillness.
Mistake #2
Sitting in a weird position is not going to help you zen out. You're just going to focus on how uncomfortable you are. Don't get me wrong, body poses and mudras (hand positions for specific energy flow) are powerful tools for mindful meditation. However, if you're just starting out, you may be distracted by wondering if you're doing them correctly. Or your body seizes up. You get my drift. To start a meditation practice you need to feel comfortable so when you close your eyes you can go deep into your soul.
Mistake #1
Perfectionism is the number 1 thing that stops people from making a habit of meditating. I used to sporadically meditate but when I started using an app. (Insight Timer is awesome! I don't get paid to say that. I truly love the app and I've been using it for over 6 years.)
An app will track your progress. At first, I'd get 10 days in a row. Sweet! But if I'd miss one day? Back to day one, I'd go. As a recovering perfectionist, this caused me to procrastinate. So I'd miss a bunch more days. Then feel shitty about it, but still not commit. Because, what if I missed a day?
Eventually, I got back into it and went for an entire year of daily meditation. Then, oops. Missed a day! Usually during vacation or something that disrupts the daily schedule. It was always so difficult to get back into it.
Perfectionism is a killer of progress.
Well, I'm happy to say that I've pushed through the doubt in myself, of having to be perfect by having to meditate for at least 20 minutes. Now, even if I only get 5 minutes in, I track it. The consistency of meditating every day for over 3 years has helped me overcome so many personal setbacks.
Meditation is the one constant in my life that I can rely on. It's not perfect, but it is a daily habit that has magically transformed my life from the inside out.
So, no matter what's blocking you from pursuing a meditation practice, just do it. Do it with the best intentions; to allow your soul a break by focusing on blissful thoughts, feeling relaxed in your body and being perfectly imperfect in your daily practice.
Do you meditate?
