It is true, a healthy mind leads to a healthy body. Meditation is one of the ways to achieve it. It teaches you to pay complete attention to your thoughts, emotions, and surroundings. Meditation helps you focus on your present, rather than worrying about the past or the future. This can bring much-needed peace to our hectic lives. With the importance of mental health, many are turning to meditation to manage negative thoughts.
However, like other things, meditation is also surrounded by many misconceptions. Here are 5 common myths about meditation that one must know before embarking on the path of meditation.
Myth 1: Meditation is only for those who are anxious or depressed
Meditation helps in reducing anxiety and depression and can increase feelings of happiness, joy, and contentment, according to research by the National Library Of Medicine. Meditation can benefit anyone, even those who are already content. It helps us be more resilient to stress, less prone to reactivity or anger, and more kind and compassionate.
Myth 2: Meditation is a religious practice.
Meditation can coexist with any religion. No religion is prohibited from practising meditation. All religions can benefit from the age-old practices of yoga and meditation. In actuality, meditation can bind together different nations, faiths, and religions. Just as the sun shines for all and the wind blows for all, meditation benefits everyone.
Myth 3: Meditation is relaxing.
It is a myth that practising meditation will help you feel calmer. Being uncomfortable with one’s inner experience for the first time during meditation can actually result in some dysregulation or anxiety. You might see things that frighten you. Truths that had previously been buried beneath defences come to the forefront of consciousness when you begin to pay attention.
Myth 4: Meditation Empties Us of Emotions
Some of us approach meditation with the hope of never experiencing a negative emotion again. Meditation, on the other hand, improves our ability to stay present and engaged with the full range of human emotions.
Myth 5: Meditation takes years of daily practice to master
To reap the benefits of meditation, you don’t need hours of daily practice, a month-long retreat, or decades of experience. Even 5 minutes a day is difficult, but it is doable if you make it a priority. By committing to daily practice, you discover that we have more time. Meditation not only alters our perception of time, but it also improves our health.
Do you require a mental recharge? Stop, pause, and close your eyes gently. Count your breaths in and out, until you reach a count of five, then begin again. Happy Meditating!
