Five false beliefs about meditation

1. You need to be in the perfect posture.

Meditation is about the mind … not the body. The posture helps us to stay relaxed so we don’t want to worry about it anymore. You don’t need to pay too much attention to it which can become more distractions unless you want to look cool on Instagram sometimes. So, ask yourself do you meditate for your well-beings or for your friends on Instagram.

2. You need to be gifted to meditate

The first thing you need for the meditation is the willingness. Many great meditators struggled but they didn’t stop trying. It’s true that the initial state of our mind contributes a lot to a good session. If we feel happy and we have no worry, it’s much easier to meditate.

3. You can stop thinking completely on the very first session.

Yes and no … if you do it right, for one or few seconds you can feel that state of calmness and peace for sure. But without practice, you can’t keep that state long. So, on the very first session you should be satisfied with only 1 or few seconds of stillness already. And that’s rewarding. So, practice, practice and practice …

4. You need to sit down, close our eyes and meditate.

My master said we could meditate two times: when our eyes closed and when our eyes opened. It’s possible to meditate when we walk, when we talk and when we eat as well. That helps us to increase our self-awareness and reduce the wandering thoughts in our day. We will be able to control our mind, feeling and emotions better.

5. A meditation retreat will change your mind for good.

Many people join a meditation retreat expecting that their mind will be transformed for good and they will become happy ever after. Meditation is like doing an exercise. You need to keep working out consistently if you want your body to remain in a good shape. After joining a retreat, if you don’t maintain the state of clarity, your mind can become weak again.