5 Myths and Facts About Meditation 2021

September 9, 2021 Jason Cain

What is meditation? What are the misconceptions about meditation?

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Hello, here and welcome to the Ancient wisdom modern mind blog and in this article I’m going to go over five very common and very ridiculous myths about meditation and shed light on these myths with five meditation facts.

Even through meditation is only a recent addition in western culture its popularity has grown quickly, along with a number of myths that have sprung up around mediation. There are also lots of dogmas and teachings within different lineages that seem contradictory and this tends to complicate our understanding of what meditation is. Meditation in itself is very simple, and it doesn’t have to be complicated, so let’s dispel some of the myths that surround mediation

Myth number (1): Meditation is only about quieting the mind and eliminating thoughts

There are forms of concentration meditation where you focus on one object and you keep going back to the object when you get distracted, and of course the goal of concentration meditation is to reduce thoughts by thinking about that one thing, or not even thinking about it just being absorbed in that one thing. However most of the popular forms of meditation involve embracing thought instead of pushing it away or avoiding it.

In many technique's mindfulness is an essential ingredient. Mindfulness is about impartially observing thoughts that are both pleasant and unpleasant whatever arises in the moment, and this is what you do when your mind wanders from the meditation object, you’re just hanging with whatever thoughts or emotions that come up, with the attitude of “well isn’t that interesting”, it doesn’t matter whether you don’t like the thought, whether its bothering you, or whether it’s really pleasant. You are just impartially observing it. And when you practice this mindfulness meditation you are opening to life moment by moment and becoming more self-aware and alive. And those thoughts or feelings are happening in the moment, and you’re embracing them.

Myth Number (2): Meditation is a way to run away from life

This is a common criticism that people use to stop you from meditating, by saying that it is a form of escapism, but the overhaul benefits of meditation are so much more different, it is all about opening to life instead of running away from painful thoughts and emotions, it’s about facing your inner demons.

It’s about facing everything about yourself that the ego just doesn’t want to face, and it’s about allowing resolution of all the tension inside of us. So practicing meditation is the embodiment of courage which is the opposite of escapism. Of course, there are some people who do withdraw, and you may become more sensitive to other human beings when you meditate, and even limit your human interaction to some extent, but less parties or socializing is not a bad things, it’s simply a sign of maturity.

For others it has the effect of making them more extroverted and more available and present for their fellow human beings, it opens your emotions and frees you from oppressive feelings or inhibitions that were holding you back. Meditation awakens your true self, freeing you from your inhibitions, this more mature and aware development helps you to re-evaluate your place in the social structure.

Myth number (3): There is not enough time for mediation

This is nonsense and to be more accurate this is total nonsense and completely ridiculous. Your making excuses and lying to yourself, every day we have elevator rides, traffic lights, grocery store lines, slow down modes and other down times every day. We can use that time to do something meditative, take those 20 to 30 seconds to focus on the breath, do a Yoga pose, or repeat a Mantra. Peaceful actions tend to accumulate, stress is accumulative and so is peace, so it all adds up. You may notice a huge difference at the end of the day, and it might even make mediation a lot easier. With some creativity it’s not hard to devote a minute or two out of each hour to mediation or some activity that is meditative and calms the mind.

Myth number (4): Mediation is a religious practice.

One of the major things that changes from technique to technique is the object of focus. Sure some people are going to do Mantra meditation and prefer to repeat religious Mantras. Others may even like some form of devotional chants. But your meditation object does not have to be devotional or religious at all, focus on the breath or a candle flame or even use a positive motivational phrase, or practice a movement meditation like Tai chi or Qigong where your focusing on movement and feeling. None of these are religious and you don’t have to believe anything or follow any religious doctrine. The reason mediation is used in religion is simply because it gets results, it’s also why most athletes also incorporate some form of meditation into their training routine.

If you would like a simple non-religious Mantra to use as a point of focus then I have a very effect affirmation available for FREE download, follow the link "affirmation post"

Myth number (5): Meditation lowers motivation.

Fortune 500 companies are now paying for mediation classes for their employee’s, not all of them but some. And this is because it is proven to increase productivity. Google does it in their Mountain View headquarters. IBM does it, Apple does it, Monsanto does it, all of these companies either have mediation classes or they encourage mediation in some way. From an employer’s perspective meditation leads to less sick time, a greater ability to focus on work tasks, greater work efficiency and many other amazing benefits.

From an employee’s perspective they are happier, they find it easier to focus on and achieve goals, and they are less easily distracted. Emotionally they are more stable, they sleep better, when you meditate regularly you are more in alignment with the flow of life, when you are in the flow of life it is easier to tackle those to do lists, you will do so with a greater amount of energy as well.

So that’s it for now.

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Ancient Wisdom / Modern Mind: by Jason Cain