Have Too Many Thoughts to Meditate? Read This
If I could go back in time to my first semester in college I would take that girl in my arms, give her the tightest squeeze and then with my hands around her face I'd look her in the eye and say,
"Thank you for starting a meditation practice. Thank you for doing something to help yourself deal with all of this stress you're feeling. This practice WILL pay off. You are doing great, even if it doesn't feel like it most days."
When a meditation practice became a part of my life in college I experienced benefits immediately. I can remember looking up at the night sky and feeling more alive than I had in a long time after one evening meditation. Right away my thoughts were clearer and I started doing a better job of coping with the newness of what 'the college experience' encapsulates and feeling more grounded in myself.
I know lots of people are daunted at the idea of starting to meditate. Just last week someone reached out to me for guidance around meditation and she shared a common misconception about meditating that I want to dispel for you in case it's keeping you from trying this fruitful practice too.
In an instagram DM my follower wrote: "The hardest part about meditating is going to be not thinking."
I was so glad she brought that up so I could clear the air for her & for you.
Let me lay it out for you...
MYTH: To meditate I need to be able to stop thinking.
TRUTH: You’re A THINKING BEING. Meditation isn't about stopping thoughts from arising, it's about strengthening your ability to focus your mind on what you DECIDE to focus on.
There are many, MANY benefits that come as a result of practicing focusing your mind - like becoming more self aware, getting better at recognizing bullsh*t thoughts and releasing them before they get alot of momentum going, allowing your vibration to rise, stress reduction, inspired idea generation and an enhanced ability to focus and create deliberately with your thoughts - just to name a few.
FYI, I meditate almost every day and every single time I do thoughts pop up and I get a chance to practice releasing them and returning my focus back to my mantra, ambient sound or my breathing.
Meditation is a practice, not a perfect and you can have a great meditation even when thoughts arise during your quiet time.
If all this talk about meditating has you inspired to try, here's a guided meditation I recorded. It's great for beginners and seasoned practitioners alike, it takes less than 15 minutes and will leave you feeling renewed and refreshed!
One note of clarification: I talk about stopping/pausing thoughts that block well-being at the beginning of the video because the purpose of this guided meditation is replacing those thoughts with ones that support and allow well-being. I didn't intend to perpetuate the "no thoughts during meditation" premise but if you just listen to the first few lines of the meditation recording you'll think I'm a total hypocrite!
Remember, thoughts during meditation are NORMAL and by refocusing the mind once we notice a thought has come in we strengthen our capacity for focus and create deliberately!
Reach out and reply back with any questions you have about starting to meditate or what's been holding you back from trying. I'm always happy to help!