Myth Busting Meditation

I can’t meditate! I can’t sit still! My mind won’t empty! I don’t have the time! It’s too hard! I fall asleep! Which one of these reasons have you avoiding meditation like the plague? Let’s bust some of these myths and get you on the path to peace, calm and tranquility!

Meditation is hard!

Meditation is only hard if you think of it as a ‘thing’, as something to be conquered. Meditation is actually a process. You probably already know how to meditate and are yet to identify some of the everyday tasks that are similar to meditating. Here is an example. Have you ever driven from a place to home, only to arrive and have no memory of turning left, stopping at traffic lights or giving way at a roundabout? You were so occupied on thinking about the argument you had at work, or planning an event for that weekend that you got lost in thought. The task of driving was taken over by your subconscious mind, while you focused on thinking. This is meditation! Meditation is just the act of continued or extended thought; the act of contemplation or reflection. As you drove, you concentrated on your thoughts. I bet you do this when you do the dishes, or fold the laundry, or walk the dog. See you can meditate! You already do it in your everyday life. Deciding to meditate as an activity isn’t any different, except you are intentionally doing it. Not so hard anymore right?

My mind just won’t shut off.

And thank goodness for that, because that’s what happens in sleep. In sleep you lose consciousness and that is not the purpose of meditation. Meditation is consciously withdrawing our attention from engaging with thoughts, by focusing it on something else. So while meditating, say the thought pops into your head that you need to remember to buy milk later when you go shopping. Engaging with the thought would lead you to perhaps think “oh, and don’t forget bread, ice-cream, and washing powder”. The next thing you know, in your mind, you are at the shops, pushing a trolley and wondering if your account has enough money to add in some wine as you are feeling a bit stressed this week!
Meditation is disengaging with these thoughts and redirecting them back to something else. This might be a mantra, such as the traditional ‘OM” or back to listening along to a voice if doing a guided meditation. It might be concentrating on your breath in a mindfulness meditation or a flame or some other object, if meditating with your eyes open. It could be as simple as counting your steps if you are walking. Practicing disengaging and redirection of thought, helps the mind to slowly calm down. And with practice, your mind will redirect easily. It’s like training a 2 year old to sit still and focus.

It’s impossible to empty your mind so give yourself a break. Like a restless toddler though, your mind does need something to play with. Find what works for you. There are so many different meditation techniques to explore and I’m sure you can find one that works for you!

I don’t have the time to meditate!

What? You can’t find 5 minutes’ day? How long does it take for a kettle to boil? Instead of watching and urging it to hurry up, use that time to turn your attention to one thing. Concentrate on that thing, disengage and redirect your thoughts when they wander away from that focus. And without getting into too much toilet humour, maybe ‘sit and think’ or sit and meditate. Sit and breathe. Sit and “Ommmmmmm” (kidding!).If meditation becomes a priority in your life, you will find time for it. Make it part of your routine, like brushing your teeth. Just like bad breath, being in “fight or flight’ mode constantly, stinks! And you might be surprised to find that meditating actually creates more time in your day. As you become calmer and more focused throughout the day, the time it takes you to do the things you need to do will become shorter. Who said there wasn’t 25 hours in a day?

I can’t sit still long enough.

So don’t! Find what works for you. Yes, there are traditional postures such as the Lotus position but really, if your feet go numb and it feels like someone is hammering a nail in your back, you won’t’ be able to relax and get the benefits of meditation anyway.

The body and mind are VERY connected. So much so that they influence each other. The posture you take can help concentration, or can act as a distraction. Just like lying down can be a distraction as you might fall asleep, sitting crossed legged like a pretzel may cause you to become so physically uncomfortable that redirecting your thoughts becomes impossible and very frustrating.

There are many different poses and again it’s about finding what works for you. Try sitting in a chair or on the couch. A park bench or blank on the beach is equally as effective as a cushion on the floor in the lounge room. Start with 2 minutes. Set an alarm of your phone for 2 minutes and sit, breathe and relax. You might be surprised at how fast 2 minutes goes by. Extend the time gradually until you are at a comfortable level for you. And know you won’t always be able to sit for the same amount of time each day. Go with the flow but be persistent in trying every day.

And if sitting doesn’t work for you…don’t do it! Go for a walk, count your steps. Fold the washing and concentrate on each fold. Eat lunch and become conscious of the food, it’s texture, the colours and armours, how the food feels in your mouth. Count the number of times you chew each mouthful. Follow the food into your stomach as you swallow. Concentrate on the meal and if you wander off to other thoughts, gently bring your attention back to your food.

It takes years to get any real benefit.

If you want to be a monk maybe! There are some benefits that are immediate, depending on what you want to achieve. The practice itself is the benefit. You will usually feel better after all your meditation sessions – more relaxed, more focused, more rested.

Image courtesy of liveanddare.com

Some of the immediate benefits are less worry and anxiety through a reduction in your heart rate, greater oxygen flow to your muscles, and a calmer mind that can focus more easily on the task at hand. This can happen in as little as 5 minutes. Pain reduction can happen in a matter of 20 minutes and connection to your Soul or Source, your guides and Spirit, can happen within a few minutes also, once you have learned how to calm you mind, body and emotions through basic meditation.

In an experiment conducted by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Centre, 15 volunteers, who were new to meditation, attended four 20-minute classes to learn meditation using a breath focused meditation. After about an hour of meditation training, they found a dramatic effect. The study found about a 40% reduction in pain intensity and a 57% reduction in pain unpleasantness. “Meditation produced a greater reduction in pain than even morphine or other pain-relieving drugs, which typically reduce pain ratings by about 25 percent.” Source. Huffington Post

Meditation will be more beneficial for you if you find a technique that you like, however and one that suits your intention. Guided meditations are probably the easiest meditations to start with as they give you something to focus on. You can choose an intention for your journey, such as relaxation or connecting to your Spirit Guides so each meditation can be different providing variety, which is the spice of life.

Every time I meditate I fall asleep!

And that’s ok to some extent. If you are sleep deprived, it’s natural for your mind to shut down once your body is relaxed. Give yourself a break (or a nap) and try again at a different time.

Mediation alters your brainwaves. Your brainwaves determine your level of consciousness. There are 4 different brainwaves, the most common being Alpha waves. Alpha brainwaves in meditation basically cause calming changes in your nervous system. Your nervous system controls your blood pressure and heart rate and the amount of stress hormones in your body. Meditation increases your alpha brain waves, causing your nervous system to calm. Gamma brainwaves also greatly increase during meditation. Gamma waves signify intense focus and are usually weak and transient during normal brain activity. This was an exciting discovery, as this area is often associated with decreased anxiety and fear, positive emotions, and a decrease in depressive feelings and symptoms. Gamma waves are the ‘happiness’ brain wave! If you are drifting off to sleep, you are allowing your focus to slip. Theta brain waves in meditation are said to help open the “third eye” through which practitioners can gain illumination and wisdom. In more practical terms, Theta brainwaves invoke a deep sense of relaxation and also encourage creativity and make problem solving and memorisation easier. This is the state you experience when you feel you are on ‘auto pilot’ or “zoned out.” Finally, Delta brainwaves in meditation are the slowest of all. Everyone experiences Delta waves during deep sleep, but Delta brain waves in meditation help the subconscious mind. So if you drift off to sleep, know you are still process, or hearing a guided meditation, it’s just going straight into your subconscious mind!

After years of being sleep deprived, if your body needs sleep, then honour this need. It will lessen over time. In the meantime, try meditating in the morning after a good night’s sleep. If you meditate with a full belly, sleep is probably going to be the result as well, so try meditating before you eat. Finally, lying down sends a signal to your brain that you are safe. When you think about it, who sleeps when they feel threatened? Try sitting up to meditate. You will be less likely to drift off into dream land. Unless of course you want to go astral travelling or on a journey deep into your subconscious mind, where lots of insight into your life can be found, processed and healed.

So with all of this in mind, give yourself a break. Find what works for you. Sit how ever, where ever, and when ever you like. There are no hard and fast rules to meditating. Success in meditation comes from the attempt, not the time, place, or technique used. Happy meditating!

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