5 Common Meditation Myths That Might Be Keeping You Reaping the Benefits

We’ve become a society of multi-taskers, constantly balancing family, friends, work, hobbies, reality show marathons, and more. Our schedules are so packed that it’s hard to find even a few quiet minutes for yourself. But in an overly stimulated, overly stressed world, that’s exactly what we need most. Meditation is one way to be more connected to yourself. (Hey, even Oprah is a fan!) It’s easier than you think to give yourself the present of presence. Here are five common meditation myths–and a few tips to help you get started.

Meditation Myth #1: You need to set aside a lot of time.

If you keep telling yourself you don’t have the time to meditate, just a little can go a long way. Core Meditation instructor Devon Pipars says, “Truthfully, consistency is far more important than quantity. Meditation is a process of recognition, which requires familiarity, and that means daily sitting. Because the practice has a cumulative effect, in even as little as 10 minutes per day, you can start to reap the benefits [of meditation] pretty quickly.”

She does note that longer sessions allow you to give your nervous system more time to calm down. “Think of unplugging a fan—even once disconnected, it can take some time for the blades to stop spinning. So ideally, you’re practicing every day for at least a few minutes, and giving yourself the opportunity to experience a longer sit, maybe 30 minutes, every now and then.” Start small and build up as needed.

Meditation Myth #2: There’s an ideal place and time of day to meditate.

Just like differences in how you’re wired to work most effectively or whether you’re a morning or night person, meditation is individual. Pipars says that tying a meditation practice to a specific time and place each day can help you integrate it as part of a regular routine, and “also the body and mind will quickly become accustomed to the ‘letting go’ that is associated with that place/time.” Meanwhile, getting out of the house and going to a meditation studio may be a good option for people who need a space free from regular distractions.

As for time of day, that’s also a matter of personal preference. “Some find morning meditation centers them with calm and positivity, setting the tone for the entire day. Many discover that evening meditation is an effective way to let go of work stress and intentionally transition into their free time. It can also be a soothing transition into sleep.”

Meditation Myth #3: You need a completely quiet space for meditation.

There’s no need to soundproof a room at home just yet. While peace and quiet can definitely help, Pipars says “never believe you can’t meditate without that, or that meditation won’t be effective without peace and quiet.” That’s because meditation is more focused on the internal vs. the external. “It’s a process of awareness—becoming aware of what is actually happening in the present moment without judgment. So even if it’s just you being aware of the body, the breath, and really loud construction sounds, it might not be what the mind would label a relaxing experience, but it’s being present and aware all the same.”

And sometimes the loudest distraction can be inside your own head. “Be wary of the mind creating excuses like ‘it’s too loud,’ ‘I’m too tired,’ or ‘I should be doing this instead’ in order to derail your meditation practice. The naturally restless mind doesn’t want to give up control by just being present in the moment. It would rather keep dragging you back to rehash the past or pushing you forward into worry about the future. In meditation, we change the dynamic with the mind in order to take back our innate freedom and peace.”

Meditation Myth #4: You need to have a blank mind while meditating.

If you think about it, completely clearing your mind at any given time is pretty impossible. Even in sleep, your brain is working, repairing, dreaming.

“Meditation is not about stopping or controlling thought, it’s about not participating with thought,” says Pipars. “So it actually makes no difference if there’s a lot of thoughts whizzing through awareness or none. Experientially it will feel quite different, but in meditation, you become aware of yourself as the Observer of the experience and not merely the Experiencer.”

Having thoughts during meditation is normal, but the effort is in letting them be, without over-engaging or dwelling in them. “As we practice disentangling from thought by just observing, we may, in fact, have the experience of mindlessness, which is deeply relaxing and calming.”

Meditation Myth #5: It’s always immediately relaxing.

Wait, isn’t the whole point of meditation to relax? Meditation is a process for awareness, and as humans are complex beings, finding that awareness can manifest along different paths. “It’s perfectly normal for things to get louder before they get quieter,” says Pipars. “We spend so much time running from what we’re actually feeling in the body and the mind, choosing distraction instead. Meditation is not tuning out and being passive, it’s tuning in and being actively aware and present. It’s not avoidance, it’s immersion.”

By being present and aware, thoughts and emotions you might’ve pushed to the back of your mind come to the forefront. These could be positive, negative, or anything in between. Find the space to be introspective without judgment from others or more importantly, yourself.

“Billions of people in the world would rather do anything, including indulging in self-destructive behavior, than be present with themselves as they are,” adds Pipars. “What we resist, persists. So when we just hold the space for anything to arise, be noticed, and subside back into awareness, much we’ve been afraid of or avoiding will quickly be released and we confirm again and again our true nature as awareness: safe, strong, resilient.”

Meditation Tips for Beginners:

Again, meditation is different for everyone. While you shouldn’t get hung up on following strict guidelines or checking off items on a list, here are some suggestions to consider.

1. Stop overthinking meditation. Not only should you not worry about doing it “correctly,” you shouldn’t even be worrying about “doing” it at all, says Pipars. “Awareness is aware, already fully present, without your active focus/participation. The act of ‘being’ will bring you there. However, some effort must be made in order to stop identifying with what you are not (i.e., thought). So even though meditation is a non-doing, effortless practice of awareness, the sense of effort comes from not doing what we habitually do, which is to follow the movement of the mind into the past, into the future, into questioning, judging, or making meaning. In order to notice what is, we keep returning the attention to the present moment, and physical anchors like Core, breath, and sensation, help us to do that.”
2. Experiment. Try meditating at different times and in places until you find something that works for you. (Times/places can change over time too). There’s no right or wrong way.
3. Resist old habits of the mind. “Avoid doing what you always do, which is constantly engaging in thought,” says Pipars. “A thought appears, but then you instinctively reach for it with your attention and interest form a relationship with it—you judge it, label it, investigate it, decide on what action needs to be taken, etc. If you want to be able to experience the calm and peace and ease of being present and aware, you can’t continue doing what you’ve done up until the meditation practice, namely letting the mind run the show. So we use physical anchors like the vibrations of Core, the breath, and the sensations of the body to keep us here and now instead of going down the rabbit hole of every thought.”
4. Make it easy on yourself. Start with a few minutes a day or use an app to help. Or try an in-person meditation studio, where all you have to do is show up and let the instructors help guide you through a session.

Do you have any questions about meditation tips, myths, or benefits? Ask in the comments!