Are you trying to overcome challenges to meditation? Does this scenario sound familiar?

A million thoughts dart through your mind. A clutter of buzzing concerns and worries rises to the surface. The mental chatter threatens to drown your peace by erasing that one elusive quiet place in your mind. Focus? Impossible! Relaxation? Out the window! Meditation? You’re trying, but it just isn’t working. 

So you douse the candle, click off the mantra chanting on your cell, uncross your legs, and begin your day with a deflated sense of incompletion. 

Not so fast. 

Meditation is meant to make us feel better, not worse. 

If you’re seeking inner peace, you have to do the work. It takes courage to establish a meditation practice, but even a few minutes daily will make a difference in your life. 

Whaaaat? 

Here’s the deal. Meditation is a practice. And all practices require work. In fact, meditation is like playing sports or rehearsing a musical instrument. We always strive for perfection, but we never quite get there. And that’s okay. After years of practice, we may come close to enlightenment, but that’s not the point. It’s the journey. Along the way to inner peace, enlightenment, or nirvana (take your pick) – the ultimate goal of life, death and the universe – the benefits are amazing. 

To meditate successfully, you must show up, exactly as you are. Flawed, imperfect, snob, control addict, slob, overachiever, loner, social butterfly, whatever! It doesn’t matter. Just show up. 

Why make the effort?

Meditation connects us with our authentic self. It connects us to our inner voice (internal guidance system), the ability to observe the self and others (shift perspective) and our intuition (innate wisdom).  

When feeling calm and grounded, we are able to perceive our world with clarity and insight. We are less afraid to listen to our inner voice. We are able to release our limiting beliefs. Our life flows with gratitude, presence and spontaneity. We feel energized, focused and open to changing our perspective. It becomes easier to respond rather than react to demanding situations. We feel more alive, connected to life, and fear less.

Here’s the but…

In order to achieve these amazing inner harmonies, you need to learn how to quiet the mind – to BE in the moment. Guided meditation is one way to do it. 

What is guided meditation?

Guided meditation (also called visualization or guided imagery) is a wonderful way for beginners to learn how to meditate, for those who need a way to renew their practice, or for anyone who is feeling stuck.

Listening to a guided meditation is like riding in a car. You’re in the passenger’s seat. There’s no need to struggle with distractions, so it’s easier to focus on the road ahead. You can relax, sit back, listen, look out the window at the passing images, and enjoy the ride. It might be easier to let go of your concerns or worries and that incessant chatter in your brain.

How to prepare for guided meditation

Sit comfortably, with good posture for easier breathing. Take two or three deep breaths. Push out the belly to fill your lungs slowly, and then release the breath slowly. Then, push the play button. 

Relax and listen. Focus on the speaker’s voice. If your thoughts threaten to interfere and drown the speaker’s voice, acknowledge them, and then let them go. Let them go. Refocus your attention on the voice. Allow yourself to listen. 

What happens to derail your good intentions? 

Mental chatter. Your brain wants to prevent the quieting of your mind. Why? It’s afraid of what might surface. Afraid of losing control. It’s afraid. This is your limbic brain speaking – the primordial, reactive part of the brain that’s constantly on guard for your safety and survival.  

So, it interjects the mental equivalent of rolling your eyes. It generates thoughts like: “This is stupid.” “Why am I sitting here, wasting time?” “This is boring.” “Dum, de, dum, dum.” “So what now?” “This is taking so long!” “Why am I listening to this?” And on, and on…

Consider this question. Are you the voice or the person listening to the voice in your head?

You are the witness, not the voice. 

What happens when you become the witness? The mind becomes quiet, peaceful, and ready to observe. You no longer need to fear loss of control, because you are in control. You can release your fear and live in the present moment. 

Namaste

(Namaste is a simple and respectful greeting in India that literally means, “I bow to you.” In Buddhism, as a greeting and salutation, it signifies: “The light within me wishes peace and happiness to the light within you.”)