"Meditation isn't really about getting rid of thoughts, it's about changing the pattern of grasping onto things, which in our everyday experience is our thoughts." - Pema Chödrön
A common misconception about meditation is that you must stop all thought.
That you must halt all thinking during your practice.
This is physically impossible (unless you're not alive!).
It is not about this at all.
Rather, it's about awareness of thought.
Noticing that you are thinking.
That a thought has surfaced.
Knowing the thought is there, but rather than following the thought, you ignore it.
Rather than feeding the thought, simply notice it is there, and let it drift away.
Our minds are conditioned to be constantly filled with thoughts.
A never-ending stream of thinking.
Always busy, always noisy.
Being able to ignore thoughts that pop up creates small gaps in your thinking.
In these gaps, you have momentary peace and stillness of mind.
The more you practice, the wider the gaps get.
To hear more about my personal journey into meditation, see my latest blog post, "Meditation and me", where I detail my own experiences and share some tips, tricks and approaches which worked for me.
Strive to live, live to strive.
Photo by Josh Power on Unsplash