FEELING a bit STUCK with your meditation practice!
It happens to us all. What works for me as a circuit breaker is to STOP using the word meditate. Let me explain. 🙂
I find the ‘stuckness’ can sometimes come from bringing expectations into my practice.
Perhaps you started meditating with no expectations, got amazing results and have found expectations for more benefits have grown over time.
Or perhaps you came to meditation with a long list of expectations to start with.
Doesn’t really matter. If you’ve found yourself a bit stuck with your practice, have a look if you’re coming to your practice with a list of expectations. You’ll be able to tell.
When carrying a bag of expectations into meditation, it can turn into resistance to your experience as it is in the moment, particularly if you don’t feel the effect you want.
Maybe then you start to try harder to meditate and achieve ‘that state’ that everyone’s talking about. Before you know it, you’re constantly judging your practice as either a good practice or not good enough.
These expectations and effort can very subtly get attached to the word meditation or meditate. So when you sit to meditate, expectations may already be building.
(Worth noting – sometimes just knowing you’re about to ‘meditate’, the body and mind can already begin to relax – so this post relates for now to if you’re feeling a bit stuck)
What can you do if you find yourself stuck?
There are so many ways you can change up your practice to support moving through / with expectations. Today I’ll share one of my favourites.
It’s to SIMPLY SIT & BE, not sitting to meditate. Actually letting go of the word meditate! Just sit, or lay down, or walk or ride or run, being you, aware of what’s moving through awareness.
Letting yourself simply BE wherever you are. Simply being doesn’t come with any expectations, so there’s:
– nowhere to get to
– no outcome needed or wanted
– no trying or striving to meditate
– no doing it right or wrong
You can’t have a good or bad practice!
Enjoy.
Love to hear how you move with expectation.
Much love, Tim
Excellent comment about meditation, Tim. I wish at least one of my past teachers of meditation had been able to explain all this to me, when I repeatedly complained that I felt a lack of any progress in meditation, despite numerous retreats & years of practise. I described my practise back then as like “flogging a dead horse”. Needless to say, I soon gave up meditating back then, when that teacher could offer no encouraging advice or explanation.
And I have read a book by a highly regarded USA meditation teacher (Stephan Bodian) where he describes the same frustration at not progressing in meditation, & was told by his teacher at that time to merely keep meditating. More flogging of a dead horse, or perhaps a variation of “try harder”. Stephan has written at least 3 books on meditation & waking up.
If I recall correctly, it was only Adyashanti – (arguably THE most respected current USA spiritual teacher) – who helped Stephan break this impasse.
Thanks for your comment Phil. Sounds like you too have experienced how frustrating meditating can be when it’s loaded with expectation. It’s one of the hardest and most challenging aspects to recognise and move with. I’m glad you’re here and have an interest and felt moved to share. Your input is so welcome. : ) I’m very grateful too for teachers like Adyashanti. Have a beautiful week.