How to Meditate, Why It Helps, & Top 5 Misconceptions

Learning how to meditate has the ability to help every human on this planet lead a more peaceful, balanced, and purposeful life. The problem is, so many misconceptions about how to meditate—or even what meditation is—stand as such a strong barrier to everyday people giving it a try.

So I’m here to break down what meditation is and how you can slowly incorporate it productively into your everyday life, first by addressing the top reasons people think they can’t.

Top 5 Reasons People Give Up Learning How to Meditate

Here are the top five reasons I hear when people say they don’t practice meditation, plus, of course, some advice about how to overcome them.

1. I can’t meditate because: I can’t clear my mind!

This is a MAJOR myth about meditation—that your mind is supposed to stay totally blank. If you’ve been meditating for many years consistently, perhaps clarity in the mind may arise, but when first starting out, the practice is more about building up the ability to concentrate on the present moment, and redirecting our attention when the mind wanders.

The goal in meditation is not to have zero thoughts or to force thoughts away as fast as possible when they intrude, quite the opposite actually. The goal is to observe our thoughts almost from a third party perspective. We see them drift in, take them for what they are, and then observe as they drift out again.

Think of it like cloud gazing. Thoughts drift into view, and keep traveling with the wind; you simply watch as they pass by. Some days are bright and clear-skied, others overcast, others so stormy and dark that you can’t even see the blue sky behind them.

The goal (and the practice) remains the same: No matter how many thoughts, or the quality of the thoughts, simply observe without trying to suppress or force anything.

Humans in our digital and fast-paced age like to attach a milestone or achievement to everything we do—but meditation cannot be won, finished, or accomplished, only practiced. You “win” by continuing to practice, continuing to observe without judgment.

2. I can’t meditate because: I can’t sit still!

There are two parts to this misconception.

First, stillness of the body is something to strive towards. But an inability to do this right away, or at all, does not mean you can’t or aren’t meditating! The point of attempting stillness is to practice something similar to what we’ve stated above: Observing without reacting. Only this time, we’re observing our bodily sensations: itches, urges to crack our knuckles or fiddle with something.

Practicing stillness allows us to see thoughts and emotions move through us and not be so reactive to their existence. And, if you scratch your nose, it does not mean you just failed a meditation session. Just like if you find yourself lost in thought, if you find yourself moving around simply notice it and try to return back to stillness calmly, without judgement or hesitation.

Second, there are ways to make this part easier on yourself! We’re all just big kids running around the world—and what does a kid, or a puppy, need to do before they can rest peacefully?

Burn some energy! Before you meditate, try doing some physical movement to prep your body for the stillness. Try yoga, going for a run or walk, even some jumping jacks can help you feel less restless while engaging in your meditation practice. Plus, what a wonderful rest and recovery activity after a workout.

3. I can’t meditate because: I fall asleep!

Movement, like I talked about above, can help you feel less restless. But it also gets your blood pumping—something that energizes you. If your problem with trying to meditate is that you end up just falling asleep, do some movement to get your blood flowing before you sit down.

Alternatively, you can try changing the time of day you meditate. If you’re falling asleep because your meditation reminder is set for right before you’re supposed to go to sleep, try moving your practice to lunchtime or right after making your morning coffee.

4. I can’t meditate because: I can’t sit cross-legged!

If, in your practice, you want to sit cross-legged, you might need some support. Try folding up a blanket or two to create a bolster under your tailbone. This will tip your pelvis forward a bit, relieving pressure off the low back, and make it a little easier to sit up straight while cross-legged.

You can also try leaning against a wall or the side of your couch. The key is finding a position where your hips are above your knees so your back is supported.

Also, you don’t HAVE to sit cross-legged! There is nothing wrong with you or your practice if you kneel, or sit in a chair, sofa, or a meditation bench. As long as your spine is upright and you’re relaxed, you’re good to go! The most important factor is how comfortable you are—so you can focus on relaxing your mind.

And lastly, lying down is an option if you have a physical need or are doing a sleep meditation or yoga nidra. But generally, it’s advised to have an upright spine so your body is most conducive to cultivating focus in meditation.

5. I can’t meditate because: I don’t have time!

If you don’t have 15 minutes, try 5 minutes. If you don’t have 5 minutes, try one minute. If you can’t meditate for 1 minute, try 1 single conscious breath instead. By starting small, you’re being more practical about building your practice mindfully. After doing 1-2 minutes, you will start to notice that you actually can do 5-10. And over time, you’ll be able to lengthen your practice if you want to.

Second, “having time” is an attitude. And I’m not trying to wave off your very real responsibilities and commitments by any means—but people do make time for their priorities, and usually there’s more wiggle room than you expect. Not to mention that making time for a meditation practice can actually help you make the rest of your day more efficient by being more focused, more productive, more energized, and more stress-free. In fact, there’s a zen saying: “If you don’t have time to meditate for 20 minutes, you need to meditate for 2 hours,” AKA - That feeling of not having time, the busy-ness that keeps you rushing, are perfect signs that you should actually make a lot of time for meditating.

Meditation cultivates focused attention and resilience, and something as simple as 5-10 minutes a day can start showing you all those benefits. This is why I teach it! Because if you can get past the initial misconceptions and barriers, the benefits are not so far out of reach.

Meditating every day for one minute is more important than meditating for an hour once a week. Like any other habit or practice, consistency is key.

The Bottom Line of Learning How to Meditate

Don’t be discouraged by misconceptions you find online—Anyone can meditate. Anyone can build a practice, starting from anywhere. And the best part is that it builds upon itself, it has a compounding effect. So even if you chip away at it just a little bit every single day, the benefits will be tenfold. The key is moving forward without judgment, and making time for it.

If everyone on this planet knew how to meditate, people would be happier, more purposeful, and the world would be a safer and more peaceful place. That’s what my personal practice is built on, and, from workshop offerings to virtual meditation classes, that’s what Technically Spiritual teaches every day.

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