Meditation

6 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started Meditating

written by

Anthony V. Lombardo


When I first started meditating, I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. I was full of questions and uncertainty. With time and experience, I’ve gained some useful perspectives that I wish someone had shared with me earlier on. Here are 6 perspectives to help guide you on your journey.

1. There is no “right” way to meditate.

Don’t get caught up in perfectly doing the various techniques you are learning. There are no hard and fast rules to meditation that you need to follow. Follow your breath if you want, or don’t. Chant a mantra, stare at a candle, or just sit in silence. Lie on the floor, sit down, or stand on your head if you like. If you have an itch, scratch it. Just be a human and see how it feels. Meditation is about exploring your own consciousness, so do what feels right for you at that particular moment.

2. It’s okay to have fun during meditation.

Meditation is an adventure, not a chore. Approach it with curiosity and playfulness. If you feel bored or restless, switch it up by exploring a new style or technique. Treat each session as a joyful experiment, like a curious scientist. You are exploring consciousness not getting a tooth extracted.

3. Let go of judgments and expectations.

A common struggle for many new meditators is perfectionism, worrying if they are “doing it correctly.” Others come in with preconceived notions, thinking meditation is going to transform them into a little bliss bunny. These expectations and judgments create unnecessary pressure, inhibit your ability to relax, and remove any fun or light-heartedness from the experience. Remain open and patient, and let go of rigid expectations. Every meditation session will be different.

4. Believe in your own potential.

Like with any other endeavor, it’s about what you believe you are capable of and worthy of. So, if you tell yourself “I can’t meditate” or “My mind is too busy,” you will create a self-fulfilling prophecy and likely will struggle. Are you capable of inner peace? Are you worthy of joy? Is true freedom possible for you? What are your inner struggles with just being with yourself? When you get distracted, tell yourself, “I got this and absolutely can do this.”

5. Thinking is not the enemy.

Thoughts, emotions, and sensations are part of the human experience and are companions during your practice. Just as the heart beats involuntarily, the mind thinks involuntarily and the body produces feelings involuntarily. Shutting these energies completely off is not practical. There’s a word for that, it’s called death. Instead, give yourself some grace and accept them compassionately as passing visitors during your meditation.

6. Commit to the journey itself and release outcomes.

Meditation mirrors life’s journey. In life, we can get distracted, chasing goals, and seeking external validation, but eventually, we are reminded that real fulfillment is an inside job, rather than an external one. The same applies to meditation. We may fixate our practice on outcomes like stress relief or greater levels of happiness, but we soon realize that our joy and well-being have been with us all along, right here in the present moment, at the center of our own being.

Just as studying, reading, and taking courses can help you in your career path, meditation is just a tool to help you along your life path. But you do your real living off the cushion, and there is no greater teacher than your day-to-day life experience.

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