A Low-Stakes Way to Think About Meditation
Stop trying to ‘empty your mind’ of thoughts. Think of barking dogs instead.
There are all kinds of reasons to meditate, but I’m going to be honest: There are probably more reasons not to do it.
It’s really hard. It’s not particularly fun. It’s not productive. It’s also just kind of boring. Every time I do it, there are usually five other things I’d rather do first.
For all of these reasons, I’m always wary of lifestyle journalism extolling meditation’s benefits as if it’s akin to jogging, or the copy of well-funded apps making meditation sound like a breezy self-help adventure. I find both unhelpful at best and off-putting at worst. The truth is, as someone who meditates almost every day — as part of a daily yoga practice—I have never found the practice easy or natural. Every day, you have to sit down and do something that our minds are wired by our surroundings and habits not to do.
That is, of course, exactly why it’s worth doing. But I think beginner meditators—a cohort I would still include myself in, despite doing this for years—can benefit by massively lowering the stakes. The goal should not be to empty your mind of thoughts, as is so often directed. That is almost impossible if you’re a beginner, even for one minute—let alone 20, 30, or…
