‘Meditation doesn’t work! I’ve tried it and it just doesn’t do anything for me!’ Yes, I’ve heard this plenty of times. For as many people as I have seen benefit from Meditation, there are just as many, and then some, who say ‘did it…done it…I’m over it’. But why do some benefit from Meditation while others don’t? What have the proponents of Meditation discovered that the naysayers haven’t?
Meditate Only When You Need It
So many people turn to Meditation only when they feel that they need help with an issue in their lives. They turn to Meditation when they’re feeling really sad, angry, or depressed. When life turns sour or they have a difficult situation, they then go to a Meditation class seeking relief. And there’s nothing wrong with that as long as they have realistic expectations.
If you turn to a qualified Meditation teacher during difficult times, they will help you to feel better. But this feeling will be short-lived. Meditating once will make you feel very nice at the end of the Meditation and most likely through the night and into the following day. But it’s not realistic to expect a single Meditation session to give these same results over a period of time.
The problem is that many people want to get that wonderful feeling they get from Meditation without meditating on a regular basis. They want ‘bliss on tap’. And because they can’t get that feeling on a regular basis, they get frustrated.
Meditation is a Practice
If we go to the gym just once a week, we can only expect marginal gains in our cardio and strength conditioning. But if we go to the gym every day, or a few times per week, we can expect to see a steady gain in our conditioning. The same is true of meditating. If you go to a Meditation class once a week, you’ll feel wonderful after the class, but that feeling will dissipate within a short period. However, if you meditate daily, that positive, joyful, happy feeling will stay with you on a regular basis.
Meditation is a practice. It is intended to be done daily. By meditating daily, we are training our mind and body to reconnect with a positive state on an ongoing basis. And if you miss a day or two for some reason on a rare occasion, it’s OK. The cumulative effects of Meditation stay with you.
Red Light Green Light 123
Did you ever play that game as a kind, “Red Light Green Light 123”? There is a huge let down when people dedicate themselves to a Meditation practice, they meditate every day, they stop for a while, and then they have problems getting back into the practice. This is a very common occurrence. We start to gain the full benefits of a daily Meditation practice and then, for some reason, we stop. As I wrote above, missing 1-2 Meditation sessions is OK, but missing several days can really set you back. And just like the person who stops going to the gym, it becomes harder to re-establish a daily practice if we do this on a regular basis. This is when many people get very frustrated with their practice and completely walk away from it. And if you ask them about this, they’ll say ‘yeah, I loved how meditating made me feel, and I know I really should be doing it, but….’
The Keys to Success
If you follow these steps, you will be able to build and maintain a Meditation practice that will bring you great joy, happiness and success in life.
- Keeping It Real: Understand that there will be days when you just don’t feel like meditating. These are the days that you should make that extra effort to meditate as you will feel so wonderful at the end of the session, you’ll say to yourself ‘I’m so glad I did that’.
- We All Miss a Day: If you cannot meditate for a day or two, go easy on yourself and don’t be critical. Just return to your practice as soon as you can.
- The Practice Starts at Home: Do not depend upon going to a Meditation Center for your Meditation practice. Your practice begins at home. Meditate daily at home and visit your local Meditation Center once a week (if you can).
- Daily Meditations: Meditate daily for 5-20+ minutes. How long you meditate depends upon how long you have been building your practice and how long you feel comfortable meditating. However, no matter how long it is, do it daily.
- Make a Commitment: Set a time for each day’s practice and stay committed to practicing each day at this same time. Consistency is important.
Don’t Give Up on Your Practice
I have personally meditated in Yogic styles on and off for 50+ years. Eight years ago, when I learned how to meditate based upon traditional Tibetan Buddhist, Vipassana and Mindfulness techniques, I dedicated myself to a daily practice and have meditated almost every day for the last eight years. Even though I have faced challenges and did not feel like meditating on some days, I have never given up on my Meditation practice and find it one of the things in my life that I can always count on.
If you want to jump start a new or previous Meditation practice, consider signing up for one of our packages. You will be able to meditate on a regular basis with a teacher who will help you build a new practice. Contact Dan Globus at (888) 377-7761 or e-mail me.
