The meditation myths that really should have died by now

"Your mind has to be completely empty." That's just wrong. More beginners have quit meditation because of this myth than any other single reason. I sit down, give meditation a go, all sorts of thoughts about dinner, an old disagreement and that stupid thing I said in 2019 swamp me and then I conclude I'm broken. But you're not. Producing thoughts is simply what brains do. The goal of meditation isn't to stop the thoughts from coming; it's to watch them pass without chasing after each one. Even Buddhist monks who have been meditating for years have wandering minds – the difference is they've learned not to fight the intrusive thought, just notice it. "Meditation is religious." Meditation does have ties to Buddhism – yes, and is also found in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and various completely secularised wellness programs. Google has meditation rooms — and so, oddly enough, does the NFL. The robes and the incense have nothing to do with the practice, although it is advisable to practice in a comfy chair, ideally when you've got ten mins to spare. "I don't have time to meditate." Even five minutes makes a difference. Three minutes works too. Studies show that a handful of brief daily sessions, sustained over a few weeks, can genuinely ease stress for many people. Nobody wants two hours in a cave to meditate. Start very small if necessary – you can always move on to bigger and better things or you can stick with five minutes - five minutes a day is obviously better than zero minutes. "Meditation fixes everything right away." This is the most harmful myth of them all; the logic goes: meditation is supposed to calm me down immediately, I try it once, I don't feel calm, so I give up! Meditation is like going to a gym - it does not result in instant benefits you must persist with it. "Meditation is only for the calm or passive." In fact meditation works the best for restless people and for sceptics. "Meditation only works one specific way." Whether it is breath-centred meditation, body scanning meditation, walking meditation or loving-kindness – take whatever works and ditch whatever does not work. Nothing kills a meditation habit faster than treating it like click here it has strict rules to follow.