Stop overthinking meditation

Are you one of those people that find it hard to meditate? Well don’t worry, I did too at first! Why? Because I had a perception that mediation was much a bigger thing than it actually is.

I was worrying whether or not I was doing it right.

Am I breathing deep enough? Am I sat in the correct position? Do I have my back slouching too much? Am I doing visualisation correctly? All of these thoughts flying around my head, made meditation feel uncomfortable and complicated.

Everything it shouldn’t be.

So in my bid to reap the benefits I see so often online, I began to do more research. It turns out I was overthinking meditation, a simple beautiful practice.

All I had to do was OBSERVE me!

• Feel my NATURAL breath. The way the air enters my nose, inflating my lungs with energy. And feel them deflate as my body removes the air that no longer serves me. At first, I found it more helpful placing my hand on my belly to feel my bodies movement with the breath.
• Listen to how my body is feeling from top to toe; is there any pain or discomfort? And how am I feeling emotionally? Is there an emotion I have been harbouring but not been taking any notice? Don’t try to change the way you feel. Just observe it, and accept it!
• Be mindful of my thoughts. Stop trying to push them out of the way when they come swimming through my mind. Instead, just be aware of that thought floating through and return my concentration to my body.
• Take 2-5 minutes of my meditation to listen to the surrounding noise. Cars passing by. The wind. The electric buzzing from appliances. My partner and Doggy moving around the home. Not labelling the noise, but just listening. I especially like t1o do this at the end of my meditation to help me become more aware of my surroundings again.

It really is that simple!

For all you food lovers out there, you’ll be happy to hear you can even meditate whilst eating, just by concentrating on how the food looks, feels, smells and tastes whilst you eat! Not Bad eh?

Many people make meditation a ritual so to speak. Even myself! I have my meditation table full of candles, incense, gemstones, rocks and angels books. BUT I don’t have to sit or lie down in that room with complete silence to meditate. Only if I want to! Otherwise, I can meditate doing most activities; all I have to do is quieten my mind by concentrating on myself in the now. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

My partner couldn’t relax when meditating either. He too was overthinking meditation until we started using the Headspace app. A wonderful app you can download with different guided meditations. I highly recommend the app as it makes meditation so simple! If you’re interested and prefer to be guided, click here to find more out about Headspace.

So if you’re like me. Stop overthinking meditation!

Just relax and be here now! Within yourself. At first, it will be hard to quieten your mind and not be distracted by your thoughts. But just return your concentration to your inner-self whenever you realise you have wandered off with your mind! With practice, it will become easier and easier!

If you have found an alternative method which has helped you to meditate; Please share your technique in the comments below to help others with their inward journe