Are you meditating correctly?
Photo by Alejandra Saldaña
Keep reading to find out.
Have you been wondering if meditation is the right tool for you? Are you meditating and wondering if you’re doing it “correctly?” If so, you’re not alone in this! Many of my clients, friends, and people I meet have similar questions.
Let’s start with what meditation is and what it isn’t.
Meditation isn’t…
a religion, although many religions practice prayer and/or meditation.
Meditation isn’t about stopping your thoughts from arising or completely clearing your mind.
Meditation isn’t about getting “good” at it, or sitting for hours to prove something.
Meditation is...
about spending time with yourself, going inward, and being with whatever arises (without trying to control it).
Meditation can be a way to ground yourself and ask for answers.
Meditation can be a tool for you to get to know yourself and cope with difficult situations.
Meditation can help you feel grounded and alive, and it can reduce anxiety.
My meditation journey
To be honest, in the beginning, I wasn’t sure if I was doing it correctly or if sitting was going to make any positive shifts in my life.
It did.
I started meditating when I was in a very difficult period of my life by sitting with my breath for one minute and then adding one minute a day until I could sit for 30 minutes in silence.
It was a life-changing experience. My mood improved, I started sleeping, and I had this amazing tool to feel less anxious.
Recently, I discovered that I’d actually been meditating long before I knew it. 20 years or so ago, gardening was my meditation. I would get outside and be there for hours, working in the garden, and I’d come back feeling happier.
Knitting and drawing were my meditations for years as well.
Now I practice more walking meditations as well as other guided meditations where I just lie down and relax.
There are many meditation teachers and tools that can guide you. Insight meditation alone has 40K free guided meditations!
Try these simple tools
Here, I introduce three simple practices to start meditating or to bring beginners’ eyes to your practice. I invite you to take the “walking, breath & noise meditations” off your mat and into your daily practice.
Walking meditation. Set an intention for this practice or use a positive word like “thank you.” Every time your foot touches the ground, repeat the word or intention. Keep doing it even if you get distracted. You can start with one minute and then add more time if it feels comfortable.
Breath meditation. Take an inhale and count “one,” exhale and count “two,” inhale count “three,” and keep going until you get to “ten.” Then start all over again. If you get distracted and don’t remember where you were, just start again from the beginning, and please be kind to yourself. Set your timer for one to five minutes.
Noise meditations. This is one of my favorite meditations and I learned it from Michelle Dalbec during my first visit to Kripalu. The idea is that any noise in your surroundings will be an anchor to bring you to the present moment.
Sit, stand, or lie on the floor and set your timer for one minute to start with. Listen to your surroundings, take a breath, and repeat your mantra every time you hear a different noise or distraction. Later, you can add more time if it feels comfortable.
I encourage you to take any of these exercises “off the mat” and into your daily routine.
Are you meditating correctly??
Before you start meditation, ask yourself why you want to meditate.
Just by adding awareness to your practice, you are already on the right track.
Every time your mind gets distracted and you notice yourself creating your shopping list or getting mad at your partner for something he did a month ago, just go back to your breath or the exercise - this awareness is bringing you back to the present moment.
Adapt the exercises and make them your own. For example, instead of counting her breaths during the breathing meditation, one of my friends repeats the word “guacamole.” (She’s a foodie so guac makes her smile and helps her release tension and anxiety.)
Trust that life has a pretty awesome plan for you. Be kind to yourself and keep practicing.