7 THINGS HOLDING YOU BACK FROM ADVANCING IN YOUR MEDITATION PRACTICE

Transcription

1 7 THINGS HOLDING YOU BACK FROM ADVANCING IN YOUR MEDITATION PRACTICE

2 1 Not practicing consistently enough This is the most common problem people have when trying to advance their meditation practice. To get basic results with meditation is easy, but to get advanced results requires consistent practice. If you want to get amazing at playing guitar, you have to practice every day. It's the same with meditation. Solution: Commit to meditating every single day. Start with 5 minutes every morning, and then gradually increase the length of the session to 1 hour per day. 2 Expecting too much too soon You have heard about the amazing benefits of meditation on daily life, and you probably already experienced some of them. Now you want to experience the advanced effects, like lasting inner peace, deep insight, and transformation of consciousness. But many of these deeper effects only come after months or years of consistent practice. Solution: Let go of your expectations and keep practicing meditation for the sake of the practice itself. Make it a habit, like brushing your teeth. Learn to enjoy it. The deeper effects will come, but not if you try to force them.

3 3 Not giving your practice enough attention / intention To advance your meditation practice, you need to be doing it every day. So you schedule it in and get it done. This is great for consistency, but be careful to not to treat the meditation it as just another task on your list. If you sit down to meditate and get straight in without any preparation, or jump up immediately after you finish, these are signs that you re not putting enough intention into your practice. Another hint is if you find yourself thinking about the next task you have to do during meditation. To get advanced results, you have to learn to appreciate the meditation on its own, not just as a task or a tool. Solution: Set your intention before you meditate. Meditate like it's the only thing that matters. Then ease yourself out of meditation slowly to retain the mindfulness.

4 4 Overanalyzing and doubting your meditation technique or progress This is a problem because during meditation you keep thinking and analyzing your state, instead of being in a state. It can also cause you to feel discouraged if you decide you aren t doing it right or progressing enough. Solution: While meditating, don t think about meditating - just be meditating. Keep practicing and don t overanalyze. If the narrator creeps in at the back of your mind, realize it s a distraction in itself, and let it go. 5 Beating yourself up mentally when you get distracted during meditation This is related to doubting your progress but goes further into blaming yourself for not doing it right. This is not only unhelpful but can actually be destructive, because it can discourage you from your practice. Solution: Realize that getting distracted during meditation is normal and it happens to everyone. It can sometimes take years of practice before you are able to have a meditation session without any distractions. When you notice your mind wandering, just bring your attention back. No need to criticize yourself.

5 6 Jumping from technique to technique It can be useful to experiment with different techniques when you are starting out to find one that fits you best. It can also be useful to try new techniques in addition to your consistent practice, but not as a substitute for it. Just remember not to get distracted by the novelty. Solution: Once you establish a meditation practice, stick to the same technique and keep doing that. Like learning a musical instrument, you have a better chance at mastery if you focus on one instrument at a time instead of switching every week. 7 Being too restless or not mindful enough during the day Yes, meditation can help calm you down, but if you re letting your mind be restless for 16 hours of your waking time, it s counter-productive. That would be like eating junk food all day, and then eating some kale in the evening hoping to repair the damage. It doesn t work like that. Solution: Don t let your mind get into obsessive or destructive patterns. Don t try to keep your brain busy every second of the day. As you advance in your meditation practice, start bringing the mindfulness into your daily life. Observe your mental patterns as you are driving, working, interacting with others.