Have you ever thought meditating is difficult and not for you?
I have too had my up and downs with meditation. The feeling of uncertainty that I’m doing it all wrong. Puts me off doing it further and I feel most people who try meditation have these feelings too.
For me, I imagined meditation as clearing all my thoughts away and being in stillness. Hoping to be transcended to higher consciousness.
Furthering my research on the subject of meditation I have come to the conclusion that meditation is made up of two practices.
- Being consious of thoughts and sounds that are around you
- Rewiring your brain through visulisation
I hope by sharing my findings in more detail it can help you on your meditation journey.
Using The Meditation Forse For Good
When I think of meditating. Yoda always comes to mind. When I was 8 I wanted to be a Jedi Knight and use the force for good. Unfortunately, meditation hasn’t given me Jedi mind powers yet.
But research has proved that meditating is a great way to exercise the brain. Every time you meditate and you are conscious of sounds or a thought. You have just done 1 rep which equates to meditation being the biceps of the mind.
Over time the part of the brain that’s self-aware gets stronger. This helps you to be more disciplined with anything you want to focus on. From food cravings or noticing when you get distracted. It can even help identify negative thought patterns that hold you back.
By understanding that when you meditate hearing sounds of cars going by the window or worrying about a job interview is exactly what meditation is for. To be engaged and conscious of everything around you.
I used to be annoyed by this and made meditating like pulling a seat belt too hard again and again. When I realised that sounds and thoughts are part of meditation it became an enjoyable experience. I started hearing morning bird sounds more clearly and any fearful or worrying thoughts I could let pass by or address later with journalling.
Be Consious Of The Now
The world we live in today is full of distractions like never before. Hours, days, months and years can pass by like a flash without any change in our circumstances due to the distraction we face.
The time for self-reflection, ideas to flourish and new paths to pave is blocked by the constant noise from the outside world. What meditation can help with is not blocking out all the noise but being aware of it. By being aware you can now start thinking. When you start thinking you are one with yourself.
The distractions we have around us is like being hooked up to the matrix. When we meditate it’s like taking the red pill where we see our life clearly for what it is.
This is life-changing and affects people on all different levels. For me, meditation helped me become a less reactive person, more productive and increased my self-belief.
When I understood meditation is just about being conscious of the thoughts and sounds that are around me. It allowed me to be present every day.
Train The Brain Muscle Daily
When it comes to meditation I hear a lot of people say it’s not for them after just doing it once or twice. It’s like they expect something spectacular to change for them in that one sitting. Like anything worthwhile, it takes time and consistency.
Developing a meditation routine is the most important thing you can do. Just like exercising or learning a new skill, it takes practice with highs and lows along the way.
I choose to do mine upon awakening where I can focus on the quietness of the morning sounds and shape my thoughts for the day.
But as long as it gets done is all that matters.
How Meditation Can Shape Your Future
Dr Joe Dispenza has taken meditation to another level. Where you can utilise meditation for visualisation of your future self.
This focus on creating the experiences you want to come true is explained by accessing the quantum zone. For further detail on accessing the quantum zone through meditation. His book Breaking The Habit Of Being Yourself is a must-read.
Entering a meditative state where you can visualise how a skill is developed or how you will entertain your guests at an event. Has been proven to shape the brain to perform this task just as effectively as if you practised it in real life.
Understanding our body is just a vessel and utilising meditation to work on the skill we want to develop and the experiences we want to have. Is a proven technique that can be highly utilised through meditation.
I have many experiences myself of picturing the future I want for it to come true. Meditating via visualisation techniques is like a director creating a movie.
What I Understand Now
I understand now that meditation is for everyone and it’s easy to get started. It felt like it was for a certain type of person and really hard but understanding that this is not true helped me enjoy meditating.
For anyone on their meditation journey here’s some of the things I do to get started and help myself make the most out of meditating.
- Ask yourself what you want out of meditation
- Set out a daily routine you can easily do every day
- Be conscious of the sounds and your thoughts around you and embrace the good and release the bad
- Utilise journalling straight after to get your thoughts onto paper to forgive, release, create or remember
- Pick a separate time of the day to meditate on your future self.
Finally, mediation is not about being perfect or stopping all noise from outside and inside your mind. Meditation is about being conscious of our past to learn lessons and let go of unwanting emotions. The present to feel them now and create the future you feel and believe to be true.
Any questions or help just ask away in the comments or more personally contact me at adam@thefuturemindset.com
Thanks for reading. You can get more actionable ideas in my Mindset Monday email newsletter. Each week, I share amazing content that will develop your mindset into the best version you can be. Let’s build an amazing community Enter your email now and join us.