Meditation is the ultimate mobile device; you can use it anywhere, anytime, unobtrusively. Sharon Salzberg.
I first read this brilliant quotation when I was studying for my qualification in teaching meditation with the British School of Meditation back in 2020. And I’ve loved it ever since!
But like our phone, meditation is only user friendly if we know how it works.
And for meditation this means practising it - whether this is through the breath, mindfulness, loving-kindness, mantra based meditation, walking and mindful movement to name but a few styles.
It's a bit like going to the gym. Whichever style or technique of meditation we choose, practising regularly builds muscle memory so that we can use it anytime and anywhere. This is an important fact. If we don’t practise…we can’t just expect it to be readily available to us.
This word ‘practise’ is key. And this is where many of us have some difficulty.
There are a lot of myths and misconceptions around meditation which can make us not start in the first instance or feel like we’ve failed (and no-one wants to feel that!) and ultimately discourage us from meditating or make us feel like we’re ‘doing it wrong’. There is no ‘wrong’ in meditation. There is no perfect way to meditate. It’s about finding what suits us best.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that meditation requires us to completely silence our thoughts. That if we have thoughts during a practice, we’re not doing it ‘right’. Nothing could be further from the truth! The mind naturally produces thoughts. It’s its job. Meditation is not about erasing thoughts or never having them when we practise but about observing them…without judgment.
And with practice, we may observe that our thoughts just pass by without us getting caught up in them, which may in turn create some calm and clarity. And if our mind wanders (and it probably will), that’s not failure - it’s practice. Each time we notice our attention drifting and gently bring it back, we’re strengthening our awareness.
Other misconceptions are that we need to sit cross-legged or meditate for a long time. Images of monks sitting in the lotus position for hours can give us the idea that meditation requires a special posture or huge time commitment. In reality, we can meditate in any position or even when moving, and even five to ten minutes a day can have benefits.
Consistency matters more than duration - short, regular practices are often more effective than occasional long ones. Although, I find that longer periods can be very beneficial too. And I usually lie down in my daily meditation practices as I find this relaxes my body, mind and nervous system more quickly.
Meditation is only for ‘spiritual people’ is another spurious idea. While meditation does have deep roots in spiritual traditions, we don’t need to be religious or spiritual to practise it.
Many people do practise meditation as a spiritual discipline but many people meditate simply for stress reduction, focus, or better sleep. Meditation doesn’t have to be spiritual. It can simply be about training our attention, calming our nervous system, and finding a little peace in our daily life.
Another misconception is that meditation will make us super calm and serene both during the practice and for the rest of the day - possibly melting away all our stress, our problems, our worries like some kind of magic potion. Well…this is not really the case. Life still happens! And this is when many people give up, saying that meditation doesn’t work.
But we don’t get toned muscles after one workout; if we persevere, the changes can creep up on us. We may realise that we’re not so reactive or that we can encompass our stress more easily or that we are okay just being present with whatever we are experiencing.
Meditation is not a quick fix. While we may feel calmer after our practice, the deeper benefits, such as better emotional regulation, reduced stress, and increased focus, come with time and practice.
Meditation isn’t about becoming a different person. It’s about becoming more present with the person we already are. And the best way to start…is simply to start.
So maybe, instead of taking out our phones for a quick scroll, we could gently connect with our breath in the moment, or repeat an affirmation or mantra, or simply be with whatever we are feeling and take a moment to relax…and meditate.
Catherine Thomlinson