Meditation is Brain Medicine
We overcomplicate meditation. We think that we need to be able to go into some quiet blissful space and instantly clear all thoughts from our mind. Spoiler alert that's not going to happen.
Meditation doesn’t mean just sit there and be absolutely silent.
The truth is you are human and alive. Thoughts are going to come into your head. It's what your brain does, it thinks for you so of course you're going to have thoughts even when you meditate.
It's impossible to have zero thoughts in your head.
That's okay, that's normal, let’s not beat ourselves up because we don't think we can sit still for 5 minutes and let go of all of our thoughts.
The question is what do we do instead? How do you meditate in a way that supports your busy mind and gives you all the magical benefits and calming effects of meditation, because let’s be real, meditation is brain medicine and really good for you.
It’s all about finding the type of meditation that works for you.
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” - Wayne Dyer
If you’re new to meditating, start with a guided meditation or a moving meditation (like yoga).
My favorite app for meditation is Insight Timer. You can sort by length, so whether you’ve got 5 minutes, an hour, or anything in between, you can fit it in. (and if you feel like you’ve fallen into a rabbit hole, just pick the first meditation you see, try it on, if you don’t like it, all good, you can try another one next time).
Try on my 4 minute grounding meditation, it's got 4.7 stars on insight timer!
For my own meditation practice I do breathwork and use mantras to give me a focal point. I use Insight Timer's handy dandy timer feature to tell me when to switch focus points in my mediation practice. That way I don't have to worry about how many minutes have passed, I can just be.
For the longest time I thought meditation was about doing nothing, but that’s not what most meditation is, it’s more about having something to focus on: a thought, an object, your breath, mantras, and so many other cool things.
Journaling Prompt: What’s stopping you from meditating?
I want something different for next year. I’m not one for setting resolutions, I gave up on them years ago, I don’t really see the point of trying to make a change that won’t stick.