Thoughts Are OK: A Meditation Essential

My meditation teacher,

Sarah McLean,

Taught me the five essentials of meditation.

And the very first one is that thoughts are okay.

It's a common misconception that we are meant to clear our minds during meditation.

However,

It's the nature of the mind to think.

Thoughts are natural.

Plus,

You can't stop thinking by thinking about not thinking.

In reality,

It's said that we have somewhere between 12,

000 and 60,

000 thoughts per day.

Somewhere between one thought every two seconds.

They arise spontaneously.

As I said,

It is the nature of the mind to think.

The thing is,

When we shut our eyes,

They become way more noticeable.

So the tip is don't force anything.

Don't force thoughts or resist them.

Instead,

When you notice that a thought has distracted you from the focus of your meditation,

Refocus your attention on your practice again and again with a gentle awareness,

Loads of patience.

And no judgment.

Distractions have no bearing on how well a meditation is going.

It doesn't matter how many times you have to refocus your attention.

It's a training.

Besides refocusing again and again in a meditation helps to retrain your brain to be better focused outside of meditation in your daily life.

Though meditation will make your mind clearer,

It's not because you clear it.

The experience of silence is cultivated during meditation.

The practice helps you access subtler levels of thoughts and impulses.

So you can have the experience.

Of the thinker behind the thought.

Meditation isn't about stopping thoughts or having a certain experience.

It's about gently training your attention.

Meeting yourself with kindness,

And staying present long enough for real change to occur.