When we meditate it’s easy to get sucked into feeling like you’re trying to achieve something, that you can have a good or bad meditation.
That a good meditation is when you keep your focus on the breath and it’s a bad meditation when your mind wanders.
But in meditation there is only awareness or non-awareness.
So when you lose focus on the breath and you notice that your mind has become lost in thought, you’re not having a bad mediation, you’re becoming aware.
Aware that your mind has drifted off into thought.
And awareness is that moment when you notice you’re lost in thought.
So don’t worry if your mind wanders off during practice.
No need to think you’re doing it all wrong or you’re having a ‘bad’ meditation.
Our mind is used to constant stimulation so it tends to be restless. It really doesn’t want to be present because it’s not used to it.
So when you meditate, you can expect your mind to be busy, easily distracted and restless.
Because unlike the day to day where you’re occupied with your tasks or moving from one activity to the next, you’re now sitting there with nothing else to do.
Nothing else to distract you from what your mind is up to.
It’s now just you, your breath and your mind.
So as well as training yourself to focus on the breath, you’re also learning to notice when thinking is happening.
You’re training your mind in the art of awareness.
And becoming aware of when your mind has wandered off into thought is an essential part of meditation.
So don’t judge your practice as being good or bad.
Or yourself as being a good or bad meditator.
Just focus on the breath.
And when your mind wanders off into thoughts, notice when it has and return to the breath.
Just awareness or non-awareness.
Not good or bad.
Interested in learning how to meditate?