The 6 Most Common Meditation Myths, Debunked
by Victoria Malloy
My introduction to meditation was like that scene in Eat Pray Love where Julia Roberts is trying her very best to clear her mind, but all she can think about is how she plans to decorate her future meditation room.
Except in my case, it was a dilapidated art studio set to a background symphony of car horns, not a tranquil ashram in India.
If you’re like me, you may think that because you can’t quiet your mind long enough to stop running through your daily to-do list, that you aren’t cut out for meditation. Or because you can’t sit still for more than five minutes without fidgeting, that you aren’t doing it right. Or because your meditation hot streak went by the wayside because life—and by life, I mean Bridgerton—got in the way.
These are the misconceptions so many of us have about meditation. And we’re going to debunk the hell out of them right now.
And who better to help us do that than Andy Puddicombe, the Co-Founder of Headspace, who has over a decade’s worth of meditation training as a Buddhist monk? You might know him as the guy with the British accent on the Headspace app, tasked with guiding millions of users around the world through their meditation practice.
So, let’s all take a deeeeeep breath, in through the nose, out through the mouth, and do this thing.
1. It’s about stopping thoughts.
Let’s nip this right in the bud, because it’s arguably the biggest hurdle standing between would-be meditators and the benefits of mindfulness.
What Andy hears most often from people is that they don’t meditate because they don’t think they will be able to succeed in stopping thoughts, or they throw in the towel when their mind proves too busy to control. “I’ve even met people who have been meditating for years and years, and still there’s this subtle idea that on some level, it’s got to be about stopping thoughts, and unless we do that, somehow we’re not doing it right,” says Andy.
Meditation is NOT about stopping thoughts. It’s about changing the relationship with those passing thoughts. “The biggest lesson for me (and it took a few teachers for me to really understand), was if we can get to this point where we understand it’s more about sitting, observing thoughts coming and going, getting comfortable with that, then all of a sudden, the pressure’s off,” says Andy. He goes on to distill it down to this: “meditation isn’t intended to have something to achieve or do, it’s simply sitting down to witness the mind, and in witnessing that coming and going of thoughts, the mind naturally begins to slow down.”
One of the most fundamental techniques in meditation is Focused Attention, where the mind is given something (most commonly the breath) to focus on and come back to when it has started to wander. “There will be days, even after many years, when the mind is very busy, and that’s ok,” says Andy. “If we’re not expecting something, if we’re not trying to make something happen, then we don’t care and we can simply sit down and witness the mind in a busy state with a sense of contentment,” he adds.
2. There is only one type of meditation.
Meditation has existed for thousands of years, and it has taken many forms.
“There are obviously common themes that exist in pretty much all traditions, most of them emphasizing the importance of awareness and compassion, and that’s what underpins everything we do at Headspace,” says Andy. “Essentially, we simplified and demystified the teachings from the Tibetan lineage that informed my time in the monastery,” he adds.
Want to manage (insert relevant affliction)? There’s a meditation for that! Whether you want to reduce stress, let go of unhappy feelings, subdue cravings, sleep more soundly or simply want to experience more peace of mind, there’s a technique for that. Headspace’s new Netflix series, Headspace Guide to Meditation, has a variety of these different types of meditation exercises, such as Loving Kindness, Resting Awareness, and Reflection, which are intended for everyday life and everyday situations.
3. It has to be done in a cross-legged seated position.
We said the word meditation and your mind immediately jumped to that stereotypical lotus pose, right?
“Yeah, we’ve all got that image in mind of sitting cross-legged, hands palm up, holding an invisible piece of string, and there’s nothing wrong with that if it works for you,” says Andy. “But what’s most important is to find a posture that is most comfortable for you, while finding that sweet spot between focus and relaxation,” he insists.
According to Andy, sitting in a chair with arms and legs uncrossed, arms resting on your legs, and the feet directly on the floor to feel grounded is a perfect way to meditate. Equally good is sitting on a cushion on the floor with an additional cushion under the bum to support the back. “Really, as long as we set up the posture as best we can, much like the mind, focused but relaxed, then everything will be okay,” assures Andy.
The point is, do what works for you. If you want to meditate lying down, do it. Though you do run the risk of falling asleep, particularly when being guided (read: lulled) by Andy’s dulcet vocals.
It should be noted that for meditation newbies, a little discomfort or tension is natural at first, as the body adjusts to sitting still, free from distraction.
4. It has to be done with the eyes closed.
If eyes closed isn’t your thing, that’s cool. You can absolutely meditate with your eyes open, taking in the world around you. In fact, it’s how Andy practiced in the monastery.
“The reason we suggest eyes closed for beginners is to avoid becoming easily distracted, and to better enable a focus on the breath, or whatever the object of focus might be,” Andy points out. “We start exercises with the eyes open, to invite a sense of spaciousness, and then we suggest closing the eyes,” he adds.
“Try mindful runs or walks as eyes-open exercises. They are great alternatives that still train the mind in awareness, and are designed to bring the body and mind in sync while out and about,” suggests Andy.
You can also fix your gaze on an external object of focus like the flame of a candle, or something outside your window.
5. The only benefit is stress reduction.
The role that meditation plays in stress reduction has been well-established, but the benefits certainly don’t stop there. And there’s actually some pretty cool science to back that up.
According to Andy, in addition to reducing stress and anxiety, meditation can help improve focus, increase resilience and decrease aggression. One study shows that just 8 weeks of meditation can increase one’s ability to respond compassionately in interpersonal situations. In other words, it can make us kinder.
What’s wild is that meditation techniques, when practiced consistently, can actually change the physical structure of the brain. Sara Lazar, Ph.D. an Associate Researcher in the Psychiatry department at Massachusetts General Hospital conducted a study that demonstrated how seasoned meditators had an increased amount of gray matter in the sensory regions of the brain, as well as the frontal cortex, the part of the brain associated with working memory and decision making. Since the cortex begins to shrink as we age, this study suggests meditation may impact age-related decline in our brains, and regular meditation practice may slow the rate of neural degeneration.
“While there are many scientific benefits, what’s most important is how you feel during and after your meditation practice,” adds Andy.
6. It takes months to see benefits.
This one can be quashed by the simple idea that “nothing worth having comes easy.”
“A common misconception is that meditation takes months — even years — to see benefits, and that’s not the case at all,” says Andy. “Sessions can take as little as three minutes each day, and people soon tend to experience a difference in how they feel, how they interact with others, how they do or don’t react to certain situations,” he adds.
Learning meditation is like learning any new skill. “It does require practice, a certain degree of discipline, and a willingness to do something that makes a difference in your life,” says Andy.
What it really boils down to is CONSISTENCY. “While it is ideal to practice every day, if that’s not possible, you will still experience the benefits if you practice regularly and consistently,” notes Andy. Meditation is like going to the gym. “You can’t train the body at the gym just a few times a month and expect results; likewise, you can’t meditate three or four times a month and expect too much to change,” insists Andy.
It’s helpful to approach meditation as though you were training for a race— start with a short distance, and gradually increase as you go. So for meditation, start with “short exercises, increasing the length of time you meditate as you get more comfortable sitting with your mind,” advises Andy.
So, give it it whirl. Maybe you’re a “meditation person” after all.
What can you lose?
