What is Meditation, Really?

By now, you've probably heard that there are many physical and mental benefits to learning to meditate. Perhaps you've thought about trying it, or have tried it and found it difficult, or just simply don't understand what it is or what you'd be getting yourself into.

I find that most questions people come to me with have to do with some common misconceptions about Meditation, and that once they understand what it is and what it isn't, and they decide to learn, every single one of them wishes they had learned it sooner. That's worth repeating. Every-- Single--One. 100 percent... All of them. Over time, I've learned a lot about what held them back and recognize the importance of dispelling those misconceptions about this healthy, practical tool that makes life better.

First, Let me tell you what it's not. It's not a belief system. It's not about twisting your body into strange yoga positions or even sitting frozen for hours at at time (there are some like that, but unless you're moving to an ashram or monastary to become a monk, you won't find that in most practices). It's not about having mystical experiences or spiritual revelations. You don't have to cut your hair or become a vegetarian or wear strange clothing in order to meditate.

So then... What is it?

It is nothing more than a simple, easy mental technique that you use to relax the body and to calm your mind. That's it. And it's easy to do if you are taught correctly.

Let's take a closer look at some of the Common Misconceptions:

1. "I'm afraid it will go against my religious beliefs." While your experience in meditation will be personal to you, meditation itself is not a religion and on its own as a practice does not come with any kind of belief system. I teach people what to do with their mind so that it can settle into silence. That is all.

Many techniques originate from Eastern religions, but the practice of modern day meditation doesn't depend on this in any way. The two techniques offered in my center are good examples:  SEED (Simple, Easy Every Day) Meditation Method® is known for its mainstream, secular nature and focuses on breath, mindfulness and a silent mantra practice. Vedic meditation, also a silent mantra practice, comes from the Veda- the body of knowledge out of ancient India, which predates all formal religions and is based on the sounds of nature.

I hear this concern most from religious people, and I would say mostly from Christians who are devoted to and actively practicing their faith, which requires them to look closely at this question. I honor that and reassure you that beginning a simple meditation practice does not interfere with your religious beliefs any more than going to the gym or learning a new language. It is training for your brain, with great benefits to your body. And just to reassure you even more, if this is a concern for you... did you know that "Halleluja" and "Amen" are mantras? You can meditate on those if you want to, and I've been trained how to teach you other Christian meditations, if what you need is, in fact, a more religious tone to what is otherwise a very secular practice. I am happy for you to have the experience that you need. You will benefit from the practice of meditation either way.

2. "It's impossible for me to meditate because there is no way I can stop my thoughts."

Actually, you are absolutely correct about that. You cannot stop your thinking by thinking about it. See the inherant impossibility there?  No, you cannot stop your mind from thinking any more than you can stop your eyes from seeing. But try this. Place your thoughts on your left hand. Just gently give your left hand some attention. Your left hand was there before you placed your attention on it, but were you thinking about it? No, you moved your awareness to it effortlessly and it became the focus of your attention. Now move your attention to your right hand. Did you have to force yourself to stop thinking about the left hand in order to move your thinking to your right? Perhaps you are even aware of both at the same time. This is how easily you can move from thinking to meditating, and sometimes you may find that you have thoughts and your focus of your meditation all at once. It is a natural process of the mind, and through this practice the mind does, in fact, settle itself into silence. But you cannot think yourself into silence. You need a process that works with the nature of the mind, and meditation is designed for exactly that.

3. "I just don't have time."

Almost always, this is more about priorities than about time. We waste time. How much time do you spend on your social networks, checking email and watching funny videos that don't actually contribute to everything you need to accomplish in a day, and may, quite often actually add to your stress? How much time do you spend waiting in line for your latte? If you meditate for a short time every day, everything you do in that day will be enhanced. I guarantee you'll receive more benefits from meditation than from sitting in front of the tv or from watching internet videos of funny kittens and babies. There's time.

Additionally, the numerous benefits to the brain that have been proven by so many studies of all kinds of meditation practices mean that you become more efficient with your time, more creative in your solutions and more intelligent in your decision making. Which means- you'll find you actually have more time than before.

4. "I will lose my competitive edge. I need my stress to keep me at the top of my game and stay ahead."

Our society is used to functioning on stress, adreneline and caffeine. The problem is- it's not sustainable. Our bodies cannot maintain that level of hypertension.  And what is the result? Mental breakdown, physical illness and bad behavior. We don't have to look very far to see that this is true. We are reaching epidemic proportions of depression and stress-related disease.  And we can pick up any newspaper on any given day and see what the results of a stressed society have created. As one of my teachers likes to say, "In order for the forest to be green, each individual tree must be green. We cannot cover it in green paint and convince the tree it is green."

Like this, we cannot keep guzzling energy drinks and lattes in order to "make it through the day" and believe that we have any kind of true "edge," not as an individual and not as a society. Over time, the effects of stress make it more difficult to concentrate, strain your creativity, and eat up all of your patience, endurance and adaptability. There is no competitive edge in that.

With meditation, we find that a relaxed mind has better concentration-- with clearer focus on what is essential and what is not, as well as a broadened awareness and ability to keep the big picture clear while working on the details. We are actually better able to respond to the demands of a competitive world. If you really want a competitive edge-- learn to meditate.

5. "I can't sit like that."

We see images of meditators sitting in yoga positions with their legs bent into the traditional lotus position and their hands in some strange "mudra" and think that this is meditation. In fact, most people sit in a chair to meditate. There are some practices that require this kind of posture, but most people prefer to have their back supported. In many practices, including the ones that I teach, back support is recommended because the practice itself relaxes the body at such deep levels, that to attempt to sit straight up that it actually prevents you from meditating correctly. If your mind has to concentrate on holding the body in place, it is buoyed to the surface layers and it never quite lets go into that deep relaxed state we can othewise enjoy if we simply sit comfortable in a supported position.

Additionally, it is worth noting that you can meditate anywhere you can safely sit comfortably with eyes closed. I've mediated on a NYC subway with my bag on my lap tucked comfortable behind my arms. On park benches, in my car parked in the grocery store parking lot, in cafes, churches and office waiting rooms, even sitting in the chair at the salon while "getting my hair did."  Lying your head back releases the "sleep chemistry" in your brain and tells the body to fall asleep, so this is the only position we avoid during meditation. Therefore, other than lying down, you can sit in any position that makes you feel comfortable.

I hope you'll give meditation a try. It really works in improving your health, vitality and longevity. It helps to improve your outlook in life and makes you more adaptable, energetic and your thinking clearer and more creative. Like anything, if meditation is to work for you, you have to do it. Nobody ever said that the gym makes you more fit. Going to the gym and actually doing the exercise does. Like this, finding a meditation practice that you enjoy and commiting to it is essential in order for it to work for you. The good news is, the process of meditation releases all kinds of "bliss neurochemistry" from the brain, flooding your system with pleasure and happiness. As a result, our personal and work relationships improve and we have more energy. With consistent practice, we find that  happiness replaces "stressed" as our default mode and this becomes the "new normal."