Whenever we begin a new routine, we are bound to make mistakes which often leads to discontinuation of the practice, especially in meditation. Beginners tend to lay excessive focus on practicing meditation in the right way to reap quicker results. However, meditation is a personalised exercise routine that is practiced at an individual’s pace and the results are further derived at that pace.
There is no written formula or conditioned pattern to practice meditation that suits everyone, thus, we end up making mistakes leaving no beneficial results of meditation on our body and brain. However, it is not important to identify and rectify those mistakes as some awareness of meditation and concentration on our practice sessions can help us in performing fool-proof meditation sessions.
Here is the list of mistakes that men can avoid at the time of meditation practice-
Being Inconsistent
The foremost mistake made by the practitioners is being irregular with their routine. It is obvious to have a different mindset and moods every day depending upon the work pressure and personal challenges faced by each one of us. Sometimes you might wake up feeling lethargic, depressed or even running late for a meeting, however, ditching the meditation’s daily session is the biggest mistake made by us. Also, if you miss a single day’s routine, it happens to become a regular practice more often than not to miss sessions. Therefore, it is highly pertinent to stay true to your routine to achieve targets set by us.
You need to make meditation an unavoidable routine of your day that can’t be compromised for any reason. Making meditation one of your priorities will make sure that you remain healthy in mind, body and spirit. You must prepare your day’s schedule one night prior in order to give enough time to your meditation session and plan your day accordingly. Once meditation becomes a habit, your mind will automatically remind you to perform this task without missing it. In fact, being focused and consistent are the first rules of meditation.
Depending on External Help
As mentioned above, meditation is a personalized routine that differs for each individual. It is often said that the path for meditation can be guided but nobody can make you walk on it.
Each one of us needs to figure out the right method to practice, therefore depending on external help to seek perfection can lead to errors in our practice as it is not certain that the mechanism proving to be fruitful for others performs in the same manner for us.
Everyone needs to build their own affinity with their best-suited meditation practice instead of following somebody else or any mobile application. As these apps can guide you or motivate you to get on the path of meditation but not make the journey seamless for you. One needs to carve their own journey by practicing different meditation styles and mechanisms to figure out the right one for them. It can be a little hard but not impossible to find your own meditation practicing method while experimenting with different styles of meditations available. Hence, experiment with different meditation styles to find your personalized one and stick to it by being consistent with it.
Inaccurate Timings
Practicing meditation is highly affected by the duration of the day as there are various factors associated with it. It is highly recommended to practice meditation in the early morning or first thing after you wake up. Having the right mindset, atmosphere and scenario can lead you to concentrate better and effectively. Therefore mornings are considered as one of the best timings to practice fool-proof meditation.
Primarily, you wake up fresh in the morning where you have a tendency to indulge yourself in something new with full energy and focus. Second, the soothing environment of the morning with perfect sunlight and fresh air helps you in being comfortable to go deeper in your meditation practice. Last but not the least, mornings have the least disturbing atmosphere without any honking or phone ringing or too many noises coming from different things. This allows you to focus with a clear mindset and without any distractions.
Also, it is scientifically proven that habits are better inculcated in the dawn hours than any other time of the day.
Being Impatient
How being inconsistent is a mistake likewise being impatient is also a mistake. One can’t expect to see visible results of meditation on their mind and body when they are being impatient with it. Meditation is a continuous process that needs to be followed to get measurable results.
However, people tend to become too judgemental about the results of the meditation and stop practicing in the early stage because of no signs of results. But it is essential to understand that meditation is also like any other sport or routine where you need to invest time and effort to get the results. No tournament can be won with just one practice session or nobody can achieve the desired body shape by just lifting dumbbells once.
Although some minor changes in your practicing style or mindset are also the signs of results. If you start practicing meditation without forcing yourself too much or make meditation a regular part of your routine, these are also the outcomes of your meditation sessions that you are becoming comfortable with the routine. Self-criticism is always good to keep your enthusiasm intact to be on the path of meditation however excessive harshness or judging results too early are not the right way to do it.
Keeping a limited affair
Meditation is not a few minutes or an hour-long affair of your day that gets done once you practice it. Instead, one needs to be equally aware and mindful about the meditation practice throughout the day to extract the benefits from your practice. When a person starts gymming, they remain equally considerate about their diet, sleeping pattern, and other factors that influence weight loss to get faster results. In the same manner, a person has to be similarly focused about their meditation practice the whole day and should not divert their mind by being angry, restless, and negative. Such things divert you from your goal. And eliminates the entire effect gained from the morning session.
Not only that, but it also drains you to conduct the next day’s session by disturbing your aura and positivity that generally prepares you for your following sessions.
Conclusion
Sitting with closed eyes and chanting some mantras are not enough to become a meditator. Meditation is a wholesome affair that involves the practitioner being physically and mentally active to be able to recognise their mistakes and be able to rectify them to follow a seamless path of meditation.