Are you thinking about starting meditation? 

Perhaps you’ve heard great things about meditation, such as how it helps cultivate relaxation and clears the mind, and want to give it a go. It sounds so peaceful. It has to be all good news, right? 

The thing is, meditation doesn’t compare to going for a morning run or drinking green tea. Those are great wellness activities. But, they need little contemplation. Meditation, on the other hand, is more complex. It’s about spirituality, consciousness and the essence of our being. What you could call the “big questions” in life. 

Meditation ultimately helps to increase our self-awareness, peace, presence and contentment and helps us focus on our life direction. It’s a peaceful yet powerful practice. 

Before you start discovering the transformative landscape of meditation for yourself, it’s worth covering some hard truths. Learning them before starting the practice will save you from unnecessary problems and obstacles.

A little bit about how I discovered meditation and why I made it a life practice

I’ve clocked hundreds of hours of meditation over the last seven years. I use some sessions to release anxiety and others to dive deep into my inner world.

I initially recognised it as a practice that purely benefited the mind. It helped me in moments of mental discomfort. 

But, as you may know, the darkest moments often point us towards the light. There’s something about being in a muddle or down in life that urges us to do what we need to make things better. Or, atleast, make things more bearable. We pull ourselves into a more comfortable state. 

However, as I continued, I discovered more to it than minimising anxiety and adopting a healthier mindset. 

You could say it goes as deep as our DNA. Meditation can change your biology and is the only way to go if you want to speed up your inevitable evolution.

“meditation practice can change brain morphology with higher cortex thickness, grey matter volume and density.” 

National Institutes of Health

It ultimately changes how you see yourself and your life and helps you forge a new reality. 

What is the practice of meditation?

Meditation is a practice that involves sitting quietly, focusing your attention, and letting go of distracting thoughts. 

Through regular meditation, you can cultivate a greater sense of self and elevate your well-being. 

Meditation is a beautiful way to take a break from the busyness of life and nurture your mind, body and soul.

Like many others, I find sitting with crossed legs is the most suitable posture. It promotes chakra alignment and is a secure yet relaxed position.

You can also meditate lying down, which I find best for vipassana meditations that involve body scans. I’ll release a blog on vipassana meditation soon. Follow me on social media for the update (links at the end of this blog).

Many avid meditators incorporate hand positions (mudras) into their meditation sessions. 

I like to place my hands on my legs to keep them relaxed, in a prayer position to promote energy flow or in Gyan Mudra.

Now that we know the gist of meditation and what it can help you achieve, let’s get into six hard truths I have learnt over the last seven years to save you from any unexpected surprises.  

6 hard truths about starting meditation

Try not to fall asleep!

It is no surprise that meditation can make you fall asleep. When we meditate, we close our eyes and find ourselves in a comfortable position that practically begs for a nap. 

I cannot count the times I have unintentionally dozed off during deep meditation. Sometimes it’s a welcome break, and other times I catch myself just before my head hits the pillow next to me.

Surprisingly, there is a benefit to the sleepiness that can arise during meditation. If you can resist the urge to fall asleep, you enter a new dimension of the practice. 

To clarify, one of the central aspects of meditation is allowing thoughts to come and go without attachment. However, this lack of mental activity can also induce sleep. 

When you can instead let your thoughts float away without succumbing to sleep, you enter a state of flow. In this state, it’s easier to tap into your inner self, true self, or whatever you prefer to call that radiant version of you. This allows for a deeper sense of self-awareness, which is a major accomplishment in the world of meditation.

Benefits are not obvious right away

You may have heard the saying, “there are no quick wins in business.” The same can be said for meditation. Like starting a business, meditation thrives by embracing challenges as opportunities for growth and improvement. Hence, results can be slow at the start as you adapt to the process.  

Also, as meditation has many benefits and not necessarily a specific end goal, meditation is a journey rather than a quick win.

The benefits of meditation include:

• Greater peace of mind
• Less stress and anxiety
• More presence
• Heightened spirituality 
• Improved confidence
• Greater authenticity
• Improved posture 
• Less body tension
• Greater motivation 

Whether you’re looking to succeed mentally, emotionally, socially, spiritually or financially, or the whole collection, meditation is the ultimate building block to wellness. 

I hope it’s the whole collection for you, because why not! You deserve to be your best, and you can be. 

Meditation is the best investment you can make. It is free, apart from your time, and gives infinite results. 

Expect a rollercoaster of emotions before cultivating inner peace

From what we’ve gathered so far, meditation is ultimately about improving our self-awareness and developing ourselves. Therefore, the practice involves a lot of introspection into our emotions. 

Be prepared for self-analysis you thought you were never capable of and many “ah-ha” moments. 

Truthfully, self-analysis frightens a lot of people. Although, many struggle to admit to that (no shame). Mental stigma is why people find it hard to open up and talk about or process their harder feelings. Also, some see expressing them as a weakness.

But, I’ll do one for the team and admit that I deal with tough emotions. But nowhere near as much as before starting meditation. My emotions were an inescapable wild ride. Can you relate? 

I now observe my negative emotions more than succumbing to them (yipee!). 

Thus, when you meditate, you will uncover emotional baggage. “Weaknesses”. Triggers. Traumas. So, you can understand why many start meditation and only those who are hardcore about their personal growth stick with it. 

Meditation takes strength but inevitably builds strength. It’s a long-term practice with long-term benefits. These are key points to remember in the early days to keep you motivated and consistent in your practice. 

There’s no escaping those overlooked emotions and the ego 

Since we just covered overlooked emotions, let’s focus on the ego. Hmm… that little menace that lives within. Ok, maybe the ego isn’t that bad, and I’ll tell you why. 

We all have an ego. Some say to remove it. But the ego serves a purpose, so we don’t want to do that. The ego helps build our identity. 

So, if we can’t remove it, we minimise its negative effects on our emotions, character and actions that can lead to:

• Competitiveness
• Guilt
• Resentment
• Hate
• Jealousy
• Falseness
• The inner critic
• Judgement
• Self sabotage
• Imposter syndrome 
• Anxiety
• Impatience
• Depression 

Yep, that’s a lot of nasty stuff that can cloud our psyche. 

Introspection through meditation helps unearth the reasons behind our ego’s darker side. And once you identify its motivators, you reel in its negative influence and foster more authenticity and positivity. 

Questions to help identify what motivates your ego:

• Were you brought up in a competitive household? 
• Are you holding onto grudges? 
• Do you frequently compare yourself to others? 
• Do you constantly put yourself down? 
• Do you feel a blow to your self-worth when you don’t complete something perfectly? 

Take the time to sit with your emotions and memories in meditation. Allow your darker feelings to come to the surface. 

Remember that if you experience emotional turmoil while doing this, that you are inevitably helping yourself heal and grow into a better, more emotionally resilient person. That’s always going to be a worthwhile experience. 

Get ready for a spiritual awakening! 

Everyone sees a spiritual awakening as exciting until they start. 

Yes, there’s no denying it is exciting in many ways, such as how it boosts levels of happiness and courage to explore new experiences and challenges. 

Yet, we can’t ignore the spiritual aspect at the core of meditation that can unlock mysteries of our existence. Some may find this new level of knowledge overwhelming (unless you’re Dr Strange, then you probably wouldn’t blink an eye). 

But how can we experience life in all its complexity without discovering new truths that may shake our senses and alter our perception of reality?

Meditation is a beautiful and extraordinary journey. 

You are not who you really think you are, particularly on a spiritual level 

By subduing your ego and activating your spiritual side through meditation, you start to see yourself differently. 

You begin to see things through a new lense of acceptance, compassion, and trust. All of this beauty emanates from within. Because, you create your reality. 

What do I mean by this?

Your soul is the centre of your being and your life force. And since it’s connected to the universe and its Creator, God, the possibilities of life explode. 

You begin to discover who you really are on a deeper level and rewrite your self-beliefs. You change your life for the better right down to your core. 

So, is it time you started meditating to unlock your true potential? 

Mediation isn’t for everyone. But if you’re determined to find more peace of mind, clarity on the meaning of life, authenticity and courage, meditation is undoubtedly the answer you’ve been looking for. You’ll look back and realise you read this blog for a monumental reason. 

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and follow me on social media for more on meditation and self-mastery. 

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