Understanding Why The Ohm Is Missing From Your Meditation

By Sean Kehoe | December 18, 2019

Alongside yoga, wellness, and self-care, meditation is a hot topic at the moment. In fact, between 200-500 million people get stuck into this trend at least once a week, including top name celebs like Arnie, Paul Macartney, and Katy Perry.

We just can’t get enough of this mind-bending, transcendental practice right now. The trouble is that you feel like you’re forever one step behind the crowd. For months, you’ve tried to make meditation your mainstay. And, yet, it isn’t ‘changing your life’ the way you expected. As far as you can tell, it hasn’t even made a dent in your psyche.

The main thing to note here is that meditation is rarely a simple fix. This is a habit that takes time and dedication. Even then, changes may be so gradual as to escape your attention altogether for a while.

On the other hand, the issue could just be that you’re crap at this. Honestly, more people than you might realize start and stop their meditation efforts. The reasons vary, but some pretty common fatal mistakes may be standing between you and enlightenment right now. Keep reading to find out what they are and what you can do about them.

# 1 – You talk about meditation more than you actually meditate

Be honest; how much time do you spend talking about meditation compared to the length of your actual practices? You certainly wouldn’t be alone if your ratio is well off-balance. Remember, meditation is a hot trend now, so it’s natural that you want to show the world your commitment. In some cases, talking about meditation can even prove as a fantastic incentive to stick at this sometimes impossible task.

As you can imagine, though, talking about your efforts becomes less useful when it stops you from actually meditating. What’s more, you wouldn’t find a Buddhist monk gossiping to his mates about his new cool meditation routine, would you?

Ultimately, insight here comes from sitting down and committing to yourself, mainly without letting anyone else in. We aren’t saying that you can’t still chat about your meditation sometimes if you fancy, but try toning it down a bit. Turn that focus inside, and see how quickly your efforts start to reap more noticeable results.

# 2 – You’re set on creating the ‘dream’ meditation space

Pinterest is chock full of fantastic meditation spaces right now, and they might have inspired you to create an area of your own. You know the kind of thing we mean, pillows on the floor, incense burning in the background, and meditation-focused decorations all around.

Now, we aren’t going to lie; setting aside a singular meditation space in your home can be incredibly useful for training your mind to get into the mode. Investing in certain meditation additions like a mala necklace and a few packs of incense can also help you to focus that ever-distracted mind. But, here’s a harsh truth for you; going all out with meditation decor and beyond is a total waste of your time.

Think about it; Buddha didn’t put off his practice until he had invested in the right cushions for his meditation room. He probably never would have even reached enlightenment if he distracted himself with such trivialities! Instead, he sat down on a tree trunk, and he changed the face of humanity as we know it.

The moral of the story? Stop procrastinating on the ideal space! Instead, carve out a bare corner or a spare room for your practice, then invest in the critical items mentioned, and get around to meditating already!

# 3 – You only ever meditate when you’re in company

As with any popular trend of the moment, meditation has quickly become more about status than much else. While you probably won’t want to admit to it, then, there’s every chance you only ever actually do the thing when you’re around people.

Don’t get us wrong; meditating in a group can provide a fantastic boost and motivation that starters struggle to find alone. But, remember what we said about meditation being an internal thing? If you’ve never even tried to tackle a session at home, it’s probably time to ask yourself whether you’re doing this because you want to, or because you want to look good.

The good news is that, even if you answer the latter, all hope is not lost. Whether you’ve embarked on meditation for the right reasons or not, you still have a chance to turn things around and put your early learnings to better use. But, trust us when we say that meditation will never work for you until you stop thinking about how your practices look to other people.

# 4 – Your practices fail ever to exceed five minutes

When you’re starting with meditation, five-ten minutes sessions are a staple way to ease yourself into things. This is a manageable (though surprisingly long) amount of time for you to manage your breathing, keep your focus in one place, and all that other meditatey stuff.

But, if you’ve been meditating for a year and you’re still failing to break the five-minute mark, then it might be time to ask yourself what’s going wrong. Of course, five minutes is better than nothing, but you probably want to be way past nothing by this stage. While remembering quick-fire techniques can still help for when you’re pushed for time, meditation that helps you to become your best self requires slightly longer sessions than that. If you want to feel those benefits to their full extent, then it’s past time you started pushing yourself. Who knows; you might just be surprised by how long you can handle.

Putting the ohm into your meditation practice

This article might seem like pretty tough love, but trust us when we say that addressing these bad habits can help your meditation soar at last. You really wouldn’t be alone in making these mistakes but, at the same time, it’s up to you to fix them!