When every day is judgment day

It may be a group in the WWE, a song, a film title, or a Biblical reference. But for most of us, it is simply our day-to-day living. We forget something and say, “I’m so stupid.” We see a store worker talking on the phone and think “they are so lazy.” Our minds are a constant stream of categorizing and judging, by our likes and dislike, our beliefs on what is desirable behavior and what is not. Our mind is a judging machine.

Meditation Myth #5: I need a special space to meditate and be mindful

I am sure we have all seen those pictures on social media of a beautiful person, sitting in lotus position in a perfect room with sunlight streaming in, vases of flowers, paintings on the wall, incense lit. And then you think about your home, with its clutter and pets and kids, and noise, and ….

Meditation Myth #4: Meditation is selfish

If you are lucky enough to have embraced self-care and protected time for your physical and mental health, this idea may surprise you. Yet I hear this frequently from new meditators- I have family, chores, work, I can’t just sit and do nothing for 10 minutes. It is too self-indulgent. At least exercising is “doing something.” Looking inward feels narcissistic. Shouldn’t we be trying to make the world better instead of just sitting with our eyes closed?

Meditation Myth #3: Meditation is associated with a specific religion

Both meditation and prayer have been around for thousands of years and have a close relationship. Meditation does have a foundation in ancient philosophies and several world religions from Eastern religions to Christian religions. Despite this history, meditation does not have to be religious in nature.

Meditation Myth #2: I have too many thoughts, so I am bad at meditation

Human brains are amazing machines. It is estimated that we can have as many as 125 thoughts per second. That’s 10 million a day if we were awake all day!

Thoughts are tricky, like a chain, one to another to another. You may have heard the phrase “monkey mind” as one description of how thoughts jump in the mind. This term historically refers to being unsettled, restless, or confused. This is important, as we often feel we are rocking it with multi-tasking, but instead research shows thinking about many things at once does leave us unsettled and unfocused.

Meditation Myth #1: I must sit in an uncomfortable position to meditate

One of the most basic worries of beginning meditators is what to do with the body while practicing. Many of us have seen pictures of people in a full lotus position and thought, well I’m out!

We live in a world of constant activity and instant gratification. Where have I seen that actor before? We can know in seconds. Information and connections are always at our fingertips.