Meditation Myths: What It’s Not, and What It Really Is

If you’ve ever tried to meditate and thought, “I can’t do this; my mind won’t stop,” — congratulations. You’re already doing it.

One of the biggest myths about meditation is that it means emptying the mind or forcing thoughts to disappear. In truth, meditation is not about stopping your thoughts. It’s about changing your relationship with them.

Our minds are like rivers — always moving, always flowing. Trying to stop thought is like trying to dam up a river with your hands. The goal isn’t stillness through control, but stillness through observation. When we stop fighting the current, we begin to float. This applies to life as well.

Meditation, at its core, is awareness. It’s the art of becoming the observer — of noticing the mind’s chatter without judging it and letting each thought drift by like a cloud passing through the sky. The space between those clouds is where peace begins to bloom. Meditation is not a performance; it’s a practice. It’s not about doing it “right.” It’s about showing up.

Here are a few accessible ways to experience meditation — no fancy cushion required:

1. Breath Awareness Simply notice your breathing. Close your eyes and feel the air move in and out of your body. Each inhale is life entering; each exhale is release. When the mind wanders (and it will), gently return to the breath. One can cultivate a direct path to peace with this through practice. - Cultivating the awareness to an EXPERIENCE!

2. Mantra or Word Focus Repeating a calming phrase such as peace, I am light, or I am here now helps center awareness. The repetition quiets mental noise and grounds energy.

3. Sensory Meditation Focus on what you can see, hear, or feel in this moment. Watch a candle flame, feel your heartbeat, or listen to the hum of life around you. Presence is meditation, it's cultivating MINDFULNESS! Such a sweet thing!

4. Walking Meditation Each step becomes an act of mindfulness — heel, toe, breathe. You’re training the mind to stay where your body is.

   
   

Meditation isn’t limited to sitting cross-legged in silence. It can happen while washing dishes, gardening, or even speaking — when we’re fully present, the ordinary becomes sacred.

Over time, meditation strengthens the bridge between the ego mind — the busy, protective thinker — and the spirit mind, the calm, connected awareness beneath it all. The more you practice, the easier it becomes to recognize which one is speaking. The ego shouts in fear and urgency. The spirit whispers in peace and knowing. Meditation teaches us to hear that whisper.

You don’t have to meditate perfectly. You just have to begin. Even five seconds or five minutes a day can shift your energy, your mood, and the way you experience the world.

The beauty of meditation is that there’s no finish line. Every session, even the messy ones, brings you closer to yourself. And that’s what this practice is really about — coming home.