5 Meditation Myths Busted
Myths make meditation “tough”, while in reality, the practice itself is devoid of any barriers.
by The San B
I often get asked how I get so much time to meditate when I tell people that I meditate four times a day. Their usual reaction to this piece of information is awe because somehow the practice of meditation is seen as an inscrutable, opaque box that needs to be opened with a special combination of backflips, claps, and hops. In short, people view meditation as serious hard work.
But in reality, meditation is the very anti-thesis of hard work.
As a serial mediator for the past year and a half, I have received numerous queries from friends and family on various aspects of meditation. There are five common myths that I usually am asked about and that stop beginners from meditating:
I Can’t Meditate if I Can’t Focus
There are various kinds of meditation; some that require you to focus on aspects like your breathing and some that let allow you to let your thoughts flow naturally as you observe them, and others that ask you to just focus on the ideas of compassion, love, and empathy. One can choose a meditation type depending on what they want to do and what they are comfortable with. Meditation is about observing, without evaluation, be it your breathing or any object.
I do two kinds of meditation: in the first kind, I observe my breathing and the Ajna chakra or the “third eye” chakra that sits between the eyebrows. This kind of meditation tends to provide a boost of energy to start my day. The second kind I do is letting my thoughts flow when I close my eyes. This helps to ease out my anxiety and stress and makes me calm.
It Takes an Hour or More to Meditate
The four meditative practices that I do take somewhere between five to fifteen minutes each. I’d love if it touched an hour meditating because the peaceful state achieved with each is incredible and I have that kind of flexibility of time in my daily schedule. But, it’s all right to meditate for lesser than five minutes too. The important thing is to remember to do it, without expectations of time and results. If you have a time crunch while meditating, you can put an alarm to wake you out of your meditative state.
There is no essence of time in meditation. You aren’t completing a task “to be done”. While meditating you lose all concept of time, because you’re observing your breath, thoughts, or an object.
Meditation Needs to be Done in a Specific Way
Meditation, unlike yoga, doesn’t need to be done on an empty stomach. There are no conditions to fulfill before meditation, except keeping a straight spine and being seated during meditation. If you can’t keep a straight spine, you can prop a below behind your back and rest it while meditating. There isn’t a specific time to meditate either; you can do it any time of the day. However, it would be better if you didn’t do it post-drinking alcohol or taking any kind of medication that affects the mind (drugs) because you might miss out on its benefits.
I meditate twice (15 minutes each time) during office hours, once post-lunch when I am at my most lethargic. The second time is right before my meetings start in the early evening. After both these meditation sessions, my mind is refreshed and ready to take on more work. Even though these are not the traditional meditation times of between 3:30 am to 6:00 am as told my many gurus, don’t let this deter from the benefits of meditating even a little. I also do not meditate at these times (for now), and I can vouch for the benefits that meditating at other times has given me.
I Need to go to a Certain Place to Meditate:
It is not necessary to go anywhere to meditate as the very act of meditation is hinged on the capability to only observe oneself. However, it is easier to focus on one’s thoughts and body in a quieter place.
When I was working in an office (as opposed to the home now), I identified a spot as quiet as possible on a floor above my office where I went to meditate. It wasn’t absolutely silent, but it worked.
While working from home with family, I sometimes find my home conditions noisy, even in my room. The best thing to do at this time is to let the noise continue and you observing the noise as opposed to evaluating it.
Ideally, if you can do it at a single place every time, then it’s good. But, if you have a “quiet” space crunch, then anywhere works.
Meditation is religious:
I also don’t chant anything religious while meditating four times in a day. However, there are Sanskrit chants to boost your meditative practices better, but you don’t have to chant anything if you are not comfortable doing so and still reap the rewards of this amazing practice. Meditation is devoid of any religion because all you do is just sit with yourself and observe the nature of your existence. Meditation, in the truest sense, is spending time with oneself.
A little about me…
I write on an odd range of topics: from mental health, self-care to politics, travel, and comedy (and all the weird shades of genres in between). They call me a researcher in my day job.
Some of my thoughts:
- Three Things to NOT expect out of Meditation
- “Positivity” Isn’t About Being Positive, It’s About Having Faith
- Mental Health in the Lockdown: Tips on How to Stay Sane
I would love to read your thoughts and comments on what I write. You can contact me on Instagram at @thesanb and Twitter at @thesabh