3 Mistakes You Might be Making in Your Meditation Practice

Has meditation been on your to-do list for a while? Or you tried it once but decided it wasn’t for you? Or you’d like to meditate more but struggle to establish a consistent practice? Wouldn’t it be nice to have more calm and clarity in your day? Today, let’s have a look at 3 common mistakes many people make in their meditation practice so you can avoid these typical mistakes and establish consistent, sustainable practice instead. 

1. Trying too hard

Sitting in a lotus pose with enormous discomfort and trying to sit for 20 minutes? Jaw clenched and face frowning. Every minute thinking “Am I there yet?” It’s very unlikely you will ever want to try meditating again this way! Let go of any expectation of how the practice “should” look like. Start small and make sure you’re comfortable in your chosen posture. Sitting on the floor isn’t for everyone, allow yourself to use a chair or even lie down on the floor in the posture of Savasana (corpse pose) Start with 3-5 minutes if you’re new so you will leave the practice wanting more. This motivates you to return to your practice, help you build consistency and eventually create longer meditation sessions when you feel ready.

2. Trying to stop thoughts

When you first start meditating, you realise it’s nothing blissful about the practice because all you notice is how busy and chaotic your mind is. And how easily your mind is distracted. You may feel unsure about what to do with constantly arising thoughts and it might be tempting to push them away, turn away from them or even try to hide them. Trying to stop thoughts is one of the most common mistakes new meditators make. What can you do instead? Can you be with your thoughts, gently let them go (without force) and bring your attention back to your breath? If you’re not caught up in a thought and can observe you’re having a thought, guess what! You’re making progress. There’s no need to forcefully push it away or try to hide or suppress each thought. It’s like trying to stop clouds from appearing in the sky. Let thoughts be. Let them just come and go. We don't hold on to each thought nor keep dwelling in it. Keep bringing your attention back to the object of your meditation again and again.

3. Expecting quick outcome

Let go of expectation. If you show up expecting a particular outcome each time, you may keep disappointing yourself. What's more important is that you keep showing up for yourself and just do the practice. Allow yourself to be present with each breath the best you can in that moment and be willing to see what happens. Consistency is the key. Start small with daily short sessions of 3-5 minutes rather than trying to meditate for half an hour once a week. It’s like a baby trying to learn to walk. Or a child learning to ride a bicycle. It takes time. It takes time to train the mind just like when you’re trying to learn anything new so let this be the opportunity to be kind to yourself and cultivate patience.

There you have it! 3 things to avoid in your meditation practice. If you enjoyed reading this, you will enjoy joining me inside the Mindful Mama Membership where you learn 3 steps of Mindfulness of Breathing. Each video is roughly 10 minutes so any busy mum can make time for. Find out more by  <<CLICKING HERE>>

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About Chika

Chika is the founder of Wa Yoga (Wa is a Japanese word meaning harmony). She is a Yoga Australia registered teacher, student of yoga for over 13 years, teaching yoga & mindfulness for almost 8 years. As a mum to a school-aged daughter, she understands challenges many mums face including shortage of time and lack of connection. She believes in the power of what we do every day so she's passionate about helping you establish short, simple & sustainable practice. She specialises in offering online courses and membership for mothers of young children and young families. Her mission is to inspire and motivate more mums to start incorporating yoga & mindfulness into their daily self-care ritual so more kids have early access to yoga & mindfulness.

She is a creator of Mindful Mama Membership, the online membership for mothers who aspire to embrace daily practice of yoga, mindfulness & Ayurveda. If you wanna reduce stress and find more calm so that you can be more present & patient with your kids, this online membership is perfect for you. This is the only place where she can offer you ongoing support all year around. You can find out more about this online membership by  <<CLICKING HERE>>