To Meditate or Not Meditate Why Some Don’t Practice Meditation

To meditate or not meditate, that is the question.  Meditation has been a spiritual practice for centuries. Reducing stress, gaining focus and developing a deeper relationship with God are all benefits. So, why would  anyone even question to   practice meditation with so many benefits?

The two reasons I believe that people don’t even try meditation are:

1. It takes a commitment of time
2. People are afraid of losing control

While every one of us is given a 24 hour day, everyone seems to be time poor. We’ve been taught that time is money, not to waste time, and somehow, if we are not busy or doing something we are unproductive.

The perception of sitting and “doing nothing” for 10-15 minutes, doesn’t put meditation on the priority list. I used to think that way too until I turned to meditation out of desperation. (You can listen to this story.)

The truth is, meditation is not doing nothing. It’s a powerful tool to silence the voices of anxiety, doubt, self-criticism and fear. Meditation quiets the mind and allows you to actually think more clearly. This quieting allows you to respond instead of reacting because of having more peace.

This practice means letting go – letting go of negative and anxious thoughts. It’s surrendering to a connection with our Creator.

If you are a control freak (you’ll have to understand why I am by reading my story), the thought of letting go can be terrifying. But if you are closed minded, you can’t receive the abundance, peace and blessings that await you. Let me use the analogy of having closed fists. When your fists are locked up tight, you can’t open your hands to receive anything.

Meditation works the same way with the mind. When you let go of the negative, stressful, anxious thoughts that don’t serve you, you can receive positive, loving thoughts to take their place.

The word meditation is many times preceded with the word practice. Depending how cluttered your mind is and how long you have programmed your mind with negative thoughts, it takes practice to quiet the mind.

In the beginning, learning anything new is hard. But with practice, it becomes easy.

If you need help, here’s another post that can walk you through a breathing meditation.

Meditation has so transformed my life, that I’ve created an easy to follow meditation CD with meditative music.

I hope that you will make time for this powerful tool and that you will welcome letting go and letting your mind, heart and soul be set free.