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How To Meditate If You Think You Can’t Meditate

How To Meditate If You Think You Can’t Meditate
Carly Jacobs
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editation is a weird thing that people either love, hate or are totally dubious about. I’m very much a beginner in this space but I’m loving my exploration of this practice. I used to be the type of person who thought they couldn’t meditate but I’ve been taking baby steps and it’s bloody good stuff. Here’s how to meditate if you think you can’t meditate.

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Don’t stress about clearing your mind

Meditation is not about clearing your mind, it’s about focusing your mind. It’s a common misunderstanding that you’re supposed to think of nothing while meditating but the opposite is true. All you need to do is focus on what you are doing – breathing and calming yourself. It’s totally fine for your mind to wander, just bring it back as soon as you can and remember that you’ll get better at it over time.

5 minutes is fine 

There some yogi-wellness gurus that swear by hour-long meditation sessions twice every day but really, no one has time for that. 5 minutes is plenty to get you started and if you feel like you need to do a bit extra, go for it. Wake up meditations are excellent if you have trouble getting up in the morning and there are some great ones for going to sleep at night too. There are energiser meditations and wind down meditations and most only last about 5 to 13 minutes. It doesn’t have to be time consuming at all. If you can spend 10 minutes on Facebook, you can spend 10 minutes meditating.

Meditation is not hippy dippy bullshit 

A lot of people shy away from meditation because it has roots in the holistic wellness space (which isn’t everyones cup of tea) but it’s actually a very powerful tool for increasing mental awareness, sharpness and over all wellbeing. Mindfulness is an incredibly important part of leading a happy and successful life. Jerry Seinfeld, Oprah, Martin Scorcese, Steve Jobs and Arianna Huffington are all serious practitioners of meditation and if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me. Plus we all have to do everything Oprah says always otherwise we’ll die.

Awesome Meditation Apps

I’m very much a beginner meditator myself and I tend to dabble a bit but I’m making more of an effort to meditate in the morning and at night, like lovely bookends in my day. I use iSleepeasy when I’m going to sleep. It’s very cliche and it borders on being funny but the damn thing works so I keep on using it. I use Buddify to wake up in the morning (they have a few great ‘start the day’ tracks) and sometimes in the middle of the day if I need to centre myself. The Buddify meditations are great because you don’t have to go into full shut down. Some of them are designed for walking around or when you’re waiting in line so you can just dip in and out whenever you need to.

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Are you a meditator? Would you ever try it?

 

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20 Comments

  1. merilyn 9 years ago

    yes I am a meditator and i love it! … thanks smags!
    i have an holistic approach to my health and wellbeing!
    ok too good to be true! but it is! lovely stuff on this blog!;0
    love m:)X

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      Thank you! I have my wellness eggs firmly in the science basket but there’s enough great research that shows the importance of meditation so I’m all for it!

  2. I’m one of those people who wants to meditate but can’t. My brain is so busy and is prone to go off at tangents. I love these tips. I think an app is a great way to get me started and I love that I don’t have to clear my mind, because that would be almost impossible!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      Exactly! And it does take practice. You can’t just plonk yourself down and expect to be zen straight away. It’s actually very energising!

  3. Cosette 9 years ago

    I recommend the app Headspace. It’s free for the first ten days and I found that was enough to get me started or help me get back on when I fall of the meditation wagon. The meditations are just 10 minutes.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      Oh I love Headspace! A school I taught at had a school subscription it was great! Perfect for kids that are studying!

  4. When it comes to meditating, I’m in it for a good time, not a long time! I do the 4-breath count a couple of times and that’s it. (Breathe in for 4 counts, breathe out for 4 counts, repeat 4 times.) Seems to work well for helping me feel calm and clear. Loving the sound of the Buddify app. x

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      Oh my god totally! I get bored if I do it for any longer than about 6 or 7 minutes. I also like ones that have dialogue. I’m not awesome at the silent ones.

  5. I really struggle with meditation but I do believe deeply in Oprah…
    Your tips are really good, and I guess like anything, the more you practise the better you get.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      Oprah has the answers to everything. I will follow Oprah wherever she leads.

  6. Mystery Case 9 years ago

    I struggle with meditation, my mind just goes into overdrive. Looking forward to casing some of those apps.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      That’s a big problem for me too! I just keep it short and do thw best I can!

  7. Belinda Jacobson 9 years ago

    I struggle with the concept of meditation – mainly because I can’t ‘clear’ my mind. By clarifying about the fact that I should actually be focusing on my breathing and that its ok for my thoughts to wonder you’ve made it seem much more achievable. xo

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      I think there’s a few practitioners in the hardcore area of meditation that have made it seem really unachievable. Just 5 minutes a day and doing the best you can will make a big difference.

  8. nat @nataliecartertalksfitness 9 years ago

    5 minutes! That seems totally doable!

  9. Tash @ Gift Grapevine 9 years ago

    It’s something I’ve always wanted to do but find that my mind is constantly racing. Even the most inane things pop in and out when I’m trying to concentrate! Love the idea of the Buddify app – I’m such a bad mood bear in the mornings and this may help me start my day better!

  10. Dr stumpy 9 years ago

    Big fan of yoga and meditation. I would love to have it is a extra curricula activity at school.

  11. rebeccassunday 9 years ago

    I have only dabbled but have felt the force, so to say. Love it – downloading those apps now now now!

  12. my2morrows 9 years ago

    Love love it. Halfway through mindful in May which has been awesome as it’s totally achievable at only 10 mins a day. Any longer and I would struggle. I also use the app simply being

  13. Michaela Fox 9 years ago

    Like a few people here, I WANT to be able to meditate but my brain refuses to let up. The thing is, I know I NEED to get better at meditation. I am a terrible sleeper and have a noisy mind during the day. I tried the Deepak and Oprah challenge and enjoyed that, but of course I stopped after the 28 days. Does anyone else have any recommendations for sleep/relaxation apps. Thanks heaps for a great post.

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