10 Myths About Meditation

There are a lot of different pieces of information out there about meditation. Some information is good and some information isn’t exactly accurate.

Meditation is a beneficial practice for the body, mind, and soul, it has physical health benefits, emotional benefits, relational benefits, and many others, and it is a good reminder to us how important our breathing patterns are and to manage our self-talk.

These last two habits can have negative outcomes on our health if we are not managing them well – which is possible if you are set off on the wrong track.

If you are learning about meditation, you might want to watch out for some of the myths because you cannot believe everything you read.

Here are ten of the most common misconceptions about meditation.

It Is Such A Big Time Commitment

You could simply meditate for only ten minutes per day to get some of the benefits of meditation.

We do not have to do this for an hour or even attend a weekend retreat where we do nothing but meditate to have a reawakening experience.

Meditation is the act of being present, focusing on the breath, and allowing thoughts to come and go naturally without judgement or assumptions.

Only ten minutes of such practice will be beneficial – and definitely better than not meditating at all because you think it won’t be worth it.

So, if you are feeling like you need to set aside a serious chunk of time every day to mediate, you might think again and simply find yourself a few free moments.

It Is Better For Me To Just Exercise

Exercise is an important component of health, it is true – but, mental, emotional, and spiritual health can be equally important.

It is found to have long-term health benefits such as lowering blood pressure, assisting with pain tolerance, and decreasing anxiety and depression.

And these outcomes are similar to the outcomes of exercising.

In order to be healthy, you need a well-rounded pattern of behaviour, so while exercise should be included, meditation should not be forgotten either.

It Is Spiritual And Hippy-dippy

Meditation may have gotten a bad rap over the years for being too radical.

This does not have to be a significant lifestyle! Nor does it need to be a truly mesmerizing spiritual experience. Connecting with ourselves can be spiritual, can be religious, or can simply be about connection. You do not have to light incense and have a religious statue in your home to meditate or have the benefits of meditation.

It Is Impossible Because My Mind Cannot Calm Down

Meditation may actually help your mind start to slow itself down, even if it never has before. You shouldn’t discount this possibility.

However, regardless of whether your mind continues to race a bit, meditation is still a beneficial practice.

It is possible to meditate and focus on the breathing that you are doing while also having a lot of thoughts.

I Cannot Sit Still So It Will Not Work

You do not have to be sitting on a meditation pillow in the corner of a room somewhere to practise meditation.

Here are a few options you may not have considered:

• You could simply stand up, stretch, and take a few mindful breaths at work and this would be a mini-meditation!
• You could practise while you walk.
• You could practise while you drive.
• You could practise while on the treadmill at the gym.

If you cannot sit still, then include this in your practice. Perhaps yoga would be a good option for you.

It is worth exploring what feels good and what has helpful outcomes for you, even if you are somebody who struggles to sit still.

I Have To Have No Thoughts For It To Be Working

It is impossible to have no thoughts. Our bodies and brains were not created to not be thinking.

We were created to survive and to do so, we have to analyze our experience in the world.

That being said, the goal of meditation is to allow thoughts to come and go naturally without judging, assuming, or spending a lot of time on them.

You may find that you have a lot of thoughts while meditating, and that is perfectly normal.

You may have to practise allowing them to float on by without breathing life into them, which may be a struggle at first, but you will get better with time.

I Can Just Immediately Start Meditating For A Long Time

This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions: you are not going to sit down and engage in an hour’s meditation practice your first go at this.

If you are able to, you are an anomaly. Most people have to work their way gradually into a longer meditation.

If you are starting only at two to three minutes, that is okay.

You might increase by one minute each week, until you are at a length of time that feels great and is manageable.

You may find that if you try to bite off more than you can chew right away that you start to resent meditation because it isn’t enjoyable.

So to protect yourself, start slow.

I Cannot Think About The Past Or The Future Because I Just Have To Be Present

Much like it is impossible to avoid having thoughts, it is also pretty difficult to avoid specific thoughts.

Again, the point of meditation isn’t to control our thoughts but allow them to naturally occur and float away on their own without spending a lot of time on each thought.

It will be natural that you think about your past, your traumas, your happy times, as well as your future.

But it will not be helpful to judge those thoughts or to spend a lot of time on them, as this can be very distracting.

I Have To Say A Mantra For It To Work

Some people may find that having a mantra helps them to meditate.

Examples may include “I am grounding myself” or “I am connecting with myself” or “I love myself” or the well-known and stereotypical “Om Mani Padme Hum”.

This is wonderful if it works for you, but it is perfectly normal to not have a mantra and to still be able to meditate just fine.

Whatever works for each person will just be what it is.

It Will Immediately Make Me Feel Better

Like anything, life doesn’t naturally improve overnight.

Meditation may take time to make you feel a lot better. It may need to be in combination with other things such as eating better, exercising, or even going to therapy or taking medications.

That is your personal journey to follow and nobody should judge you for what helps you be okay.

Meditation will eventually help, but please do not expect it to start making you feel better overnight.

It is not a magic cure-all, but, like anything, if you are consistent with it, it will do your body, mind, and overall health a lot of good.

Conclusion

So there you have some common myths about meditation and the act of meditating.

I am sure you have heard some of them before, so next time you hear something like these statements, try to challenge the person kindly. Tell them what you recently learned.

Meditation is possible and worthwhile in many different forms, both for short and long periods of time.

It will not instantly make life better but it will help in the long run.

And it is okay for us to have thoughts. We will have plenty of them. Things will simply be what they are, and that is okay.

May your meditation practice be full of life and love and wellness!

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. Meditation For Beginners
2. Mindfulness Course