FALLACIES OF MEDITATION

Meditation is difficult. It is hard to learn to meditate.

- Meditation is the simplest thing one can do. With a little bit of discipline, anyone can meditate. However, some people think it is difficult because of accumulated stress, doubts, worries, and an overactive mind. In reality, it is as simple as thinking a thought.

If you can think, YOU CAN MEDITATE. It does not require any special equipment. All you need to do is sit comfortably and close your eyes . Meditation is best learned from a qualified teacher. If you follow the instructions carefully, you should be meditating in no time.

One needs a special quiet place to meditate.

- Although it is recommended to create a special place preferably at your home for meditation, yet don’t let the fact that you are not at home sitting in your favorite chair be an excuse for not meditating.

You can meditate pretty much anywhere you can sit comfortably and close your eyes safely.

While noise can be a distraction, it is not a hindrance for meditation. You can meditate at work, sitting in the train, waiting outside the doctor's office etc.

We need to clear our mind of thoughts in order to meditate.

- The purpose of meditation is not to clear your mind of thoughts. The goal of meditation is just to recognize the thoughts and move your attention away from them.

Everytime, you find yourself getting caught up in thoughts, just acknowledge without judgment and make a conscious choice to come back to your practice. Meditation is nothing but the effortless flow of moving back & forth between the thoughts and your practice.

It needs a lot of time to meditate & It’s difficult to fit meditation in our busy schedule.

- Start where you’re at. If you can meditate for 20 minutes, it’s good. If you can begin with 10 minutes, it’s fine. If you just want to sit for 5 minutes initially, that’s okay too.

Know that some meditation is better than none. There is no point getting worked up or stressed up or thinking of it as an added chore to the day. Approach meditation with an attitude of openness and effortlessness.

In order to meditate one needs to sit in classical yoga postures.

- Although classical yoga postures exist for meditation, don’t force yourself to enter them unless it’s comfortable for you.

Any posture (except lying down) that feels comfortable is a good posture to meditate.

All you need to do is keep at least a lil bit of straight spine. As long as you are comfortable and your attention is not taken away from meditation towards any discomfort in the body, any position is a good position to use.

You need to try hard to meditate.

- If you stop trying, meditation will work for you.

Trying or forcing brings in constriction while meditation is a process of expansion, of letting go. Trying involves activity and holds our awareness on the superficial levels. The more effort you put in your meditation practice, the difficult it will be to go into deeper and quieter levels of awareness. In meditation the lesser you do, the greater the rewards.

Meditation is not for everyone.

- Meditation is a tool to enrich your life and everyone can benefit from meditation.

On a physical level, meditation helps to release stress, fatigue, & toxins from our mind-body system leading to greater health & happiness. On a mental level, it helps increase focus, concentration and efficiency. On a spiritual level, meditation allows us to reconnect with our true nature so we start living a more purposeful life which is perfect in every sense.

Meditation is a quick fix for stress and anxiety.

- It is a myth that meditation calms you down right away. On the contrary, meditation can sometimes cause dysregulation or discomfort in the beginning due to unresolved issues or past trauma from the subconscious being brought into the conscious mind.

The real benefits of meditation though permanent, sometimes take a long time to show up. Occasionally you may feel relaxation as a fringe benefit of a particular meditation and other days you might notice your mind being all over the place.

The more miraculous the experience, the better the meditation.

- Every meditation is unique. The experience you have in meditation will be the experience your body needs in that particular meditation.

Let go of the judgements and expectations attached to your practice.

Just allow yourself to be gentle and accepting of the experience. Know that meditation is working for you from the positive changes in your life.

Meditation belongs to a particular religion.

- Meditation is a spiritual experience rather than a religious practice. Although many religions talk highly of meditation, it is universal and can be practiced successfully by people of all cultures and religions.