Becoming You

Busting the Top 5 Meditation Myths


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In this episode of the Becoming You podcast, I’m going to be busting some of the most common meditation myths. As someone who has been meditating on a regular basis for the past six years, I can say with absolute confidence that meditation has changed my life. If you are somebody who wishes they can be more consistent about meditation, this episode is for you!

Like everyone who first gets into meditation, I struggled at the very beginning. One of the big factors that halted my progress was a whole host of misconceptions around how to actually meditate. Let’s dive right in!

Myth #1: “I’m not good at meditating.”

Many people think that, as soon as you sit on a meditation cushion, something magical is supposed to happen; and if nothing does, then they’re probably not cut out for it.

However, the beautiful thing about meditation is that it’s designed to help you stop judging. The goal of meditation is to sit and observe. Become aware of what you’re thinking about at every given moment, and refuse to let yourself get attached to the emotions associated with those thoughts.

Myth #2: “I’m supposed to feel calm and stress-free after meditating.”

I know that this is the intention of meditation—to help us feel calm. But I want you to think of meditation as an activity that clears the noise and negativity from your mind, just as you may imagine clearing up a pond filled with muck. You’re clearing your mind from judgement, anger, and resentment toward other people, and it starts by bringing those emotions to the surface.

With this in mind, you may come out of quite a few sessions agitated instead of calm. Why? Because the meditation brought something from your subconscious onto the conscious level. That’s not a bad thing. It just means that you’ve unearthed a bit (or a lot) of mess that you now have the opportunity to clean up.

Whatever happens, remember to observe, observe, observe without judgement. This will help you put some distance between your thoughts and the emotions that you tend to assign to those thoughts.

Myth #3: “There is only one way to meditate.”

There are more ways to meditate than the usual lotus position. I’ve tried probably every kind of meditation there is, from walking meditations to guided meditations to Shambho meditations to Reiki meditations.

If you are a novice or just starting out, I recommend doing a guided meditation where someone’s voice is giving you things to do during the session, such as counting your breaths.

This is because our thoughts typically run so fast that a beginner may find it extremely difficult to find that stillness in mind and body that meditation requires.

Myth #4: “Meditation is only for people who have time.”

There’s a great saying: “If you have time, meditate for 30 minutes a day. If you don’t have time, meditate for one hour a day.”

That should give you an idea for how important meditation is, especially for those who are time-constrained.

Telling yourself that you don’t have time to meditate is like telling yourself that you don’t have time to brush your teeth. No matter how busy we might be, we always find those two minutes to brush our teeth every morning and evening.

Myth #5: “I’m supposed to be blank when I meditate.”

Most of us think that we’ve failed a meditation if our mind was so busy throughout the session. If this has happened to you, I say great job! There are few things like meditation that can make you realize just how many thoughts are bubbling deep inside your mind.

It’s not that your mind suddenly becomes busy when you meditate. It simply makes you become aware of how busy you already are. It’s like flipping a light switch.

Learn more about me and my coaching services:

Free resource: 10 Ways to Spark Your Self Love Journey

Visit my website: www.visalakshi.com 

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Join my FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/becomingyou1 

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Becoming YouBy Visa Shanmugam

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