How Meditation Can be the Easiest Thing to Do
If doing meditation is an everyday struggle for you, then I understand. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
I am one of those people who read about the benefits of meditation, saw all the influencers doing it, and tried to do it myself. It helped me to take a nap in the morning when I should have felt pumped up. Its effects were as transient as a fart. (Sorry, bad metaphor!) I found it one of the most pointless exercises in everyday life. But then, one day, everything changed.
Why Meditate?
It is a simple question. But do we have a simple answer to this? I didn’t! It took me years to figure out a reason to practice this. Only then I could maintain a streak. Before that, I was simply restless.
You have to ask yourself what do you want to achieve from this. My mind raced every day a bit too much. So I wanted to be calm. But when I dug even further, I realized how scarily little I knew myself. How little my me-time was and how bad its quality was. So I wanted to do some self-inquiry.
If your reason isn’t clear, then anyone can sell you anything in the name of meditation. You can buy fancy cushions, incense sticks, purchase subscriptions for guided meditation apps, and whatnot. You just need to google about it, and the world is ready to sell you ideas of meditation. But at the end of the day, if this process isn’t bringing any long-lasting change in your life, is it worth it?
How to Meditate?
I am an advocate for meditation because I know how drastic its impacts are. But even to realize that I had to self-examine. So I hope your reason to do meditation is concrete. Because if it is, no one can stop you from reaping its benefits.
- Experiment
If you want this process to be quick, then I have this bad news for you. It takes time. One app or a technique might work wonders for someone, and you just don’t get it. For starters, I suggest guided breathing techniques and guided meditation. Why? Because they are easy to follow, and you don’t end up snoozing as I did. I also suggest experimenting with time and posture.
2. Discipline
Do you know who realized their life had changed after meditating every once in a blue moon? No one. You have to commit to this practice. Either you spare five minutes or half an hour for this, it depends on you. But you have to make it a habit.
3. Let Go of Perfection
I find many meditators reprimanding their children for making noise during their meditation practice. Expecting solitude during your meditation session is okay. But if something beyond your control happens during your session, don’t lose your calm. Just smile and start focusing on that sound. See how you perceive it. Observe how your mind reacts to situations like these. After all, meditation is not about finding perfection but recognizing why you strive for something more than you have.
Once you start playing with different techniques of meditation, you will strike a chord with something. That something will be in alignment with your purpose. When that happens, you can not let go of this practice even if you want to.
At the end of the day, meditation should be about developing a way to have a better relationship with yourself. That way can be weird and whatever way you want it to be. But if you succeed in finding this thing, this habit could be as easy as duck!
