When many people think of meditation, they think of its difficulty.
What comes up most often among meditation students is that stilling the mind and clearing it of thoughts can sometimes feel downright impossible.
Of course, there’s much to be said about how attention spans have decreased in a culture of constant stimulation. However, I think this is only partly to blame. Mostly, I think the problem with meditation’s perceived difficulty is that they’re never taught that the practice isn’t supposed to be easy.
In our hustle-and-grind culture, meditation is often sold as a quick fix for the ills that capitalism brings. It’s marketed as a cure for anxiety, depression, or burnout. All you need to do is download this app, and your problems will be fixed.
Meditation, however, isn’t meant to be a panacea. While its effects on anxiety, stress, and a host of other issues are well-known, meditation is meant to be a long-term tool to cultivate a sense of enlightenment.
Case in point: The most common type of meditation practiced today — breath mindfulness — was initially developed among asectics and monks on the path to Nirvana. It wasn’t created as a way for a busy working mom to destress, even if it happens to be good for that too.
We often forget that mindfulness, meditation, and yoga are also lifelong paths. This isn’t a gym routine that you stick to until you reach a specific goal. These Dharmic practices are meant to encompass every aspect of your life until it becomes yoga.
So, yes, meditation isn’t easy. It’s not supposed to be. Even the simple practice of breath mindfulness is a skill that takes dedicated and persistent effort to get the hang of.
Practice, practice, practice, and all is coming.
Practice:
If you’re having trouble with the basic breath mindfulness practice, here are a few tips you can use to make the process a bit easier.
Prepare the body: It can be hard to sit still when your body is restless and jittery. In fact, the physical postures of yoga were originally designed to help prepare the body for long periods of seated meditation. Before you practice, try to get some movement in.
Start shorter: If you can’t sit in meditation for 10 minutes, try just sitting for five. Like working out at the gym, the ability to sit still and observe a single point of focus is a muscle you have to train.
Use an anchor: Sitting quietly and clearing the mind is difficult even for experienced meditators. So, try using an anchor. When you breathe in, silently say the number “one” in your mind. When you exhale, say “two.” Repeat as needed, alternating between “one” and “two,” or “in” and “out.”
Journal:
Here are some journal prompts for this week.
Does meditation seem difficult to me?
How does meditation’s difficulty make me feel?
Is there a way I can be gentler with myself when meditating?
What I’m reading:
Here are a few articles I liked this week:
Unlocking The Power of Sanskrit: 267 Words for Love — Yoga International
What the Latest Research in Neuroscience Tells Us About Meditation — Yoga Journal
Filmmaker Kevin Wilson Jr. on Finding Your Way to the Heart — The Creative Independent
Natural Intelligence: Mushrooms Made the World What It Is — Orion Magazine
My favorite things this week
My current book: Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World by Sharon Salzberg
What I’m jamming to: Ambient 1: Music for Airports - Brian Eno
Quote of the week: “Meditation is not a way of making your mind still. It is a way of entering the quiet that is already there.” - Deepak Chopra
This week’s intention: I meditate.
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