You go to yoga 3 times a week, have dedicated yourself to drinking kombucha and ACV shots in the mornings, but for some reason, when it comes to practicing your meditation, you just can’t commit to it in the same way.
No matter your best intentions and despite the promises to yourself that you will meditate in the morning, you find yourself abandoning your meditation sessions. Meditation is good for you – it’s known to lower your blood pressure, slow your breathing to a relaxed rate, decrease stress and improve your heart rate. So, why do you keep on doing it?
You Are Yet To Find The Right Practice
One of the most common reasons for someone quitting their meditation practice is because they are practicing a type of meditation which isn’t right for them. A lot of people who are actively practicing mindfulness throughout their day-to-day lives, mostly through the use of apps and studios, are practicing what was originally designed for monks to use and not people leading busy lives.
Because of this, most people now feel the need to completely clear their thoughts and mind before they successfully meditate, which is not true. Meditation is largely viewed as being difficult to commit to and do because so many people think that they need to clear their minds and sit in cross-legged positions, but the truth is that the mind will think involuntarily, much like how our heart beats involuntarily.
The assumption that we should have a grasp of meditation and think that it is, simply, just a matter of clearing our minds is the reason why we ultimately fail at it. It is inevitable, and then we quite as we feel we are failing at it. Meditation, much like everything else, is a skill which needs to be learnt.
Find A Method Which Works For You
One of the best tips when it comes to meditation is to learn a meditation which is designed for you. With so many kinds of meditation practices available, from mantra meditations to transcendental, there is sure to be one out there which suits you. Stick with your practice and schedule it in regularly for around two months.
Then, after this time, if that certain type of meditation doesn’t feel like it is working, you can give another one a try. So often, people claim that they are anxious because they haven’t been meditating – simply sitting on a chair, closing your eyes and finding the rhythm is meditating, but by finding one which feels better for you is what you should be searching for, rather than the ability to completely switch off from everything going on in your mind. Whether you practice your meditation in your high waisted gym leggings at a studio or wearing your pajamas in the comfort of your bedroom, there is no right or wrong place to do so.
Don’t Be Hard On Yourself
Believe it or not, you are supposed to have thoughts during meditation – you are not a practicing monk. When most people give up meditating, it is because they become frustrated at not being able to feel like they are meditating, or “floating”. But, the goal of meditation is not to be good at meditation, it is to get better at life. By learning a practice which is made for busy people who have busy minds, you’ll stop trying to get it right and simply just start doing.
In the same way that you brush your teeth in the mornings, meditation isn’t a luxurious self-care practice – it is necessary hygiene for your brain. You are wanting to shift your thoughts towards it so that you can start to view meditation as a non-negotiable part of your daily routine – the benefits of doing so are to highly praised to ignore. Once you start doing so, you may feel like a weight has been lifted – your job will feel easier, you’ll get through your day-to-day demands quicker and you’ll begin enjoying life more.
Our guest blogger Natalie Wilson is a freelance writer with a particular focus on sustainability and eco-friendly living. Whether you’re looking for a new meditation method or some facts on plastic pollution, she’s your girl! When not writing, Natalie can be found pulling on her leggings and hoodie and heading to the gym or walking her dog. You can connect with her on Twitter @NatWilson976.