Why you don't meditate (and the joyful way to change that)
Ok, forgive me, I assume.
The steemit community is not filled with average Jane's and Joe's just yet, so we might have some pro meditators out here. If you are one of the few who has a joyful and fruitful meditation practice, I commend you and welcome your advice.
But lets be real, even people like myself who are fascinated by meditation and have seen benefits from years of practice still avoid meditation sometimes. And while we're being real, meditation works. When done properly, it changes your life. I believe it ranks alongside diet and exercise as necessities for a good life.
I'm sure you have heard all the benefits, maybe tried the apps or had a practice, but didn't stick with it or didn't get the results you wanted or were thrown off by weird cultish people (yes they're out there). I bet you even believe that meditation is good for you and that you should do it... but humans don't work that way.
There's a really simple reason why you don't meditate.
Its because you don't like meditating.
And if you don't like it, no wonder you don't do it frequently! I don't blame you! The rewards aren't immediate, and the benefits aren't visibly noticed by others. There's very little pressure to buckle down and meditate (like there is to get a six pack) because there is very little external reward.
Luckily, there's good news! The solution is not only easy, but more effective. If you want to understand yourself more and realize the power of your mind, you can go deep into the practice of meditation simply by meditating in a way that is enjoyable. Enjoyment is doubly effective, in that it makes you want to practice more, and it makes all the parts of you're mind that usually don't get along chill out for a while, making your practice even better. Positive feedback baby!
Make good feelings your number one priority in meditation. Its your time and you should to feel good and loved. Everyone needs and deserves that. It's a beautiful and nourishing thing to forgive yourself and know that you are good. Mindfulness is secondary. You need to start with love and a deep sense of goodness if you want to break free from the hindrances of anxiety, doubt, shame, restlessness, and fear. Only then will your mindfulness become powerful enough to make deep changes to your personality.
Joy and self-love are the base of a meditation practice, and once you learn to establish them, you can keep coming back. You will keep returning because your meditation will be both good and wholesome (like avocados). From here, you can explore many different practices with clarity and ease, but those practices are a discussion for another time.
If you'd like, here are some simple practice instructions. This is not a mindfulness or concentration practice. This is the base, the fundamentals. If you do it for one minute that's great. No need to make it a big thing.
- Sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
- Tell yourself "It's ok, you are good, I forgive you, I love you, you can relax, you can be happy"
While you do this, you can pay attention to whatever you like. It's ok if the mind moves around, no need to keep it on the breath or anything like that. Just tell yourself the truth and mean it. And the truth is, it is ok, and you are good, and deep down you just want yourself to be happy.
I'd love to talk to you about meditation (or anything) in the comments. Best wishes,
-Chase