Busting meditation myths has inadvertently become a fundamental part of what I share with others and is also something I am incredibly passionate about.  I was put off by the meditation myths for years but my lived experience of meditating daily has been very different to what I had come to expect.  After years of telling myself that my mind was just too busy to meditate and I’d just stick to yoga (because you know, keep moving in order to not look at old emotional wounds that were desperate to be healed) I reached a point where I needed to face why I had settled for living with anxiety for so long and part of that healing journey (alongside talking therapy, other healing modalities, movement & journaling) was a non-negotiable daily meditation practice.  This daily commitment has helped strengthen my intuition, repair my nervous system and increased my ability to see and change old patterns that were keeping me stuck.  When all distractions and masks are stripped away nothing but the truth remains and although that isn’t always easy to face there is a comfort and beauty in being able to connect with our deepest truth.

That all sounds pretty deep (because in part it is!) but there are many ways to also keep it simple and go gently, especially if exploring meditation for the first time or for the dabblers – I see you all and part of my mission is for anyone with a desire to meditate to adapt what I share and develop a practice of their own.

Sitting still with racing thoughts and a fidgety body are 2 of the most common reasons why we either give up meditating or don’t start in the first place!  Meditation can also be seen as something we do rather than it being a state of being, meaning it can get easily get added to daily to do list as something to tick off.  This can then make it feel like a chore (rather than the radical act of self-care it actually is) and I’m sure most of us can relate to the unsatisfied feeling having unticked chores can leave us with.

Much of what is shown and written about meditation often suggests that it’s all about sitting quietly to clear the mind, become empty of thought and feeling calm, which gives rise to its appeal but is also what can lead to feeling defeated by it when that isn’t the case.  What actually happens during meditation is that we get to sit and notice all the thoughts that are passing through the mind and how they are making us feel.  So a meditation practice really is being able to sit with, witness and not respond or act upon what the mind is bringing to the surface – when we hone the ability to do this we increase our resilience and strengthen the nervous system, both of which are directly linked to how much of a sense of peace within we can connect to.  When this is practiced consistently we then not only start to experience the benefits to our resilience and nervous system (which enables to be much more responsive instead of reactive in our lives) but we might also start to notice that the mind does sometimes become quiet or there are longer gaps between the thoughts.  HOWEVER PLEASE NOTE I would never suggest that anyone sits with thoughts that lead to great discomfort or distress due to past or current trauma or grief.  Seeking therapeutic support might be the best form of self-care if this is the case.

The beauty of meditating is that it isn’t just about being still and watching our thoughts, there are so many ways and means in which to find a more meditative state of being using the breath, mantra, visualization, sound, sensations etc. and many of these are things that we can then use in daily life rather than just saving them for a more formal looking seated practice.  In fact for times when restlessness is taking over journaling is a good option or a walking or moving meditation (like yoga) is often a better way to give space for the feelings to move through us.

These are just some of the feelings that you might experience during meditation:

• Restless
• Empowered
• Agitated
• Happy
• Frustrated
• Free
• Bored
• Grateful
• Impatient
• Joyful
• Sad
• Peaceful
• Energized

Although we are all unique living different experiences please know that you are not alone in the similarities of things and feelings that can crop up when meditating.  If you would like my guidance or to ask any questions please reach out, I will never claim to have all the answers but I am always happy to share what I do know or can probably point you in the right direction.