Myth: I'm not good at meditating

I practiced yoga daily for a year and a half before I ever even considered meditating. I had a physical practice through asana flow but never had the quiet and still meditation practice. In the last year, I have since committed to practice both asana and meditation daily.

I have learned that I value the meditation practice even more than the physical practice. Checking in with your body is important but checking in with your mind is invaluable. Committing to a practice of sitting quietly with yourself makes it easier to process your emotions and manage your stress, is something we could all use more of.

I regret not starting sooner. I always tried and couldn’t stop my thoughts from racing through my head. I gave up numerous times and assumed I wasn’t good at meditating. In my mind, you weren’t supposed to have thoughts at all, but that was a load of crap. Your mind is supposed to have thoughts, it’s literally what your brain was designed to do. The trick is to acknowledge those thoughts and then let them go. You can do this by focusing on your breath, creating a personal mantra (i.e. “I am good enough the way that I exist now) and focusing your gaze. There are many other accessible ways to do this, it will be different for everyone.

Some of my other excuses for not meditating were:

I could never get comfortable.

I didn’t have time.

I didn’t have access to a quiet space.

It’s all bullshit!

Finding a comfortable seat takes practice. If you keep trying, you will find it. Just because it’s not easy doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.

You create time for things that are a priority for you. You have just as many hours in a day as Beyonce.

You don’t need a quiet space. My meditation normally looks like being jumped on or licked by one of my dogs. I either pet them and tell them to go lay down or I ignore them. Either way, I begin again. It’s not supposed to be perfect and it never will be, so put that judgement to sleep.

When I dropped my expectations of what I thought it was supposed to be, it became a whole lot easier to try. That’s been an invaluable life lesson. How many times do you show up with expectations and were disappointed or blown away?  Wouldn’t it be easier if we practiced presence to meet situations and people exactly where they were in that moment? I think so. Meditation helps you live your life that way.

Still have reservations about meditating? Reach out, I’d love to help you.

My name is Anna VanAgtmael, and I am a certified yoga instructor with a passion for yoga, travel, and connecting with others.

I believe in trying everything once. My values lie in collecting memories over things. Though we desire adventure and authentic experiences, naturally our fear holds us back.

My ambition is to inspire and encourage you to unmask your fears and jump into the unknown.

Anna VanAgtmael | Yoga Enthusiast | Trip Planning Wizard