Meditation does not require a large chunk of sustained time, nor is it too difficult to get into. Psychologist Mike Brooks busts the misconception that its about emptying your mind. Instead, meditation is about focusing on one thing.

Brooks is talking about mindfulness meditation, which weve discussed before, which focuses on being fully in the moment. One of the biggest problems people have with meditation is the assumption that it requires emptying your mind entirely Ive seen several people who misconstrued it as that and gave up on meditation far too quickly. Brooks explains it better:

People think the goal of meditation is to empty the mind. Its not about clearing the mind; its about focusing on one thing. When the mind wanders, the meditation isnt a failure. Our brain is like a wayward puppy, out of control. Catching it and putting it back to the object of focus is the mediation.

Brooks also says that a total of 15 minutes of meditation in a day not necessarily continuous is enough to make you feel better. You can practise mindfulness meditation at any time, like when you are eating or walking the dogs or on your commute. One of my favourite tricks is to focus on your breath and count it. Weve talked about this and more techniques in our beginners guide to meditation.

The takeaway here is that mindfulness isnt difficult. Its not a failure if your mind wanders. Its natural for that to happen, especially if youre new to meditation. Do it in short bursts throughout the day, and youll get better at it.

Meditation Techniques For People Who Hate Meditation [Fast Company]

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'Meditation Isn't Clearing The Mind; It's Focusing On One Thing'