…A breath of fresh air in the heat of your day.
Scientific evidence and research from the past decade have proven the benefits of meditation on focus, decision-making, productivity, health, and feeling of well-being. Just like exercise, nutrition, and good-night sleep, meditation and mindfulness are finally accepted as activities contributing to the health in a safe, easy, and holistic way. Despite that, only a small percentage of people meditate on a regular basis. Meditating for 10 hours once in your life will not turn you into an enlightened being, unfortunately. The consistency of practice is the key to the benefits of meditation. So let’s explore what myths you may be telling yourself to justify skipping daily meditation practice.
Myth 1: I don’t have the time.
We are all beyond busy, and it’s not going to stop anytime soon. Luckily, you only need 15 minutes a day or so to meditate. Don’t have 15 minutes? Do 10. Don’t have 10 minutes? Do 5. Don’t have 5 minutes? Do 1. Every minute counts!
Do you eat, sleep and bathe? In the past people were not taking daily showers – now everyone has time for it. Adopt a mindset that meditation is part of the essential needs. It is no longer a “should do”, but a “must do,” if you want to stay sane in this technological era. It is the gym for the brain, tuning and connecting with the most precious thing in life – Yourself. To establish the habit, practice first thing in the morning and create a ritual around it (just like a daily cup of coffee or social media scroll). Maybe you can make it the first thing you do in the office or last thing before you return home. Create time and put it on your calendar until it becomes a natural extension of your essential needs.
“If you don’t have 10 minutes for yourself, you don’t have a life,” – Tony Robbins.
Myth 2: I can’t meditate.
Some people try meditation and decide that it’s not their “cup of tea,” or they don’t feel they are doing it correctly.
For most people, the minute you close your eyes a crazy world of mental chatter, undealt with feelings, and emotions unfold. It’s busy, chaotic, sometimes scary, especially the first time. It’s like meeting the crazy person or the most negative or complaining person in your life, who just won’t shut up. Many people believe that meditation is about emptying the mind, so there are absolute stillness and quietness. If you find this absolute emptiness and no thoughts or sensations, congratulations – you are DEAD.
It’s like meeting the crazy person or the most negative or complaining person in your life, who just won’t shut up.
The point of meditation is not to clear your mind. Meditation trains your mind to focus on-demand, whether you need it to get active and productive, during work-hours or quiet and calm, as you go to bed. Most people don’t have this self-control and keep running the to-do list as they lay in bed.
During meditation, the mind will wander and thoughts will occur for sure. The practice of meditation is to catch yourself wandering and kindly, without any judgment, return your attention to your breath or selected point of focus. It is impossible not to think, but it is possible to direct your thinking to one point of awareness. Training your attention and focus is the gym for the brain. As your “muscles” get stronger, you will find it easier to concentrate, focus, and pay attention throughout the day. And sometimes you can have a nice healthy conversation with the crazy person inside 🙂
Myth 3: Meditation is selfish.
This view is common among the selfless leaders who live to take care of others. They view any self-care activities as self-indulgent and as time away from doing something useful for others and the organization. This mindset only leads to burnout. When you are busy working for the good of others, devoting your life to a company, taking care of a relative or loved ones, and forgetting yourself, you will get sick and miserable at some point. Neglecting the basics of self-care is the recipe for disaster, and it will come unexpectedly. You can’t help others unless you are well yourself. Period.
“Meditation is selfish” mindset only leads to burnout.
Meditation helps you to be at your peak state. It evokes self-compassion that is proven to be a driving force for lasting good deeds and happy change. Compassion helps to bring meaning to our life.
Whatever you told yourself about meditation, be adventurous and give it a try (again and again). Worst-case scenario, you can just go back to the old story “it’s not my thing.” Best case scenario you will adapt a life-enhancing practice that brings a breath of fresh air to the heat of your day.
Oksana’s Book, “NEXT LEVEL YOU”, www.sattva.me
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