The meditation myths that really should have died by now

"You need a totally clear head to meditate." Not even close. No other myth has scared away more new meditators. Picture this: you sit down to meditate, and within seconds your head is full of thoughts about dinner, an old fight, and something cringeworthy you said years ago. Naturally, you assume you're failing at it. Except you're not broken at all. Thinking is the brain's default job. And meditation is not about shutting that factory down, it's about standing watching the meditate news belt move and not hopping onto every box as it passes. Even monks with decades of meditation experience still have minds that wander – what they have lost the battle against the unwanted guest. "Meditation is a religious practice." Meditation is part of Buddhism – yes, and is also found in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and various completely secularised wellness programs. Even Google offers meditation spaces, and believe it or not, so 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. Research suggests that just a few short sessions a day, kept up over several weeks, can measurably lower stress levels for some people. No one's asking you to sit in a cave for two hours. Start small if you have to – you're free to work your way up later, or simply keep it at five minutes - five minutes a day is obviously better than zero minutes. "Meditation provides instant cure." Of all the myths, this one does the most damage; 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 works more like going to the gym — the benefits build with consistency, not overnight. "Meditation is only for the calm or passive." In fact meditation works the best for restless people and for sceptics. "There's a single correct meditation method." From breath awareness to body scans to walking meditation to loving-kindness, the method that sticks is the one worth keeping. Nothing kills a meditation habit faster than treating it like it has strict rules to follow.