Article by Christophe Lorreyte, Tangram Meditation Coach & Physician (Chinese Medicine)
1. Meditation and false beliefs
Whether you've been meditating for a long time or you're just starting out, I'm sure you've heard many misconceptions about meditation...
Perhaps when you talk about your meditation practice to people around you, they say something like "well, it's relaxation" or... "Oh yes, I meditate too: I lie down on my bed and try not to think about anything"...
Even my new students show, for the most part, a time of adaptation to deconstruct what they had thought they knew about meditation, before approaching its true principles.
That's why I'd like to talk to you about the 5 most common misconceptions so that you can more easily answer them.
Here they are:
a. Belief #1: "Meditation cuts off the world
Watching someone meditate, this is indeed what one might think at first glance.
Sitting, eyes half closed, not moving, in silence, it seems that the meditator is alone with himself.
However, meditation allows one to be more open, more attentive and compassionate with others, while deepening one's knowledge of oneself.
Indeed, the mind constantly emits a hubbub of thoughts, a real inner monologue generated by the ego.
Calming oneself leads one to turn more towards others, silencing this omnipresent ego.
b. Belief #2: "Meditating with your eyes closed is more effective
This is a matter of balance. If you meditate with your eyes wide open, the outside becomes too present.
If you keep your eyes closed, you concentrate only on yourself.
But if you keep your eyes half closed, you can observe your thoughts without taking part in them, and keep an essential opening to your direct environment, without taking part in it either.
c. Belief #3: "You can start meditating without learning anything".
This is a very fashionable belief!
To meditate, it would be enough to sit down and to make the vacuum in your mind...
It is because of such beliefs that many people start to meditate alone, do it badly and... stop because they do not understand what it brings them.
But meditation cannot be improvised: the main principles of meditation cannot be invented and, just as you took lessons to learn to swim, it is important to learn to meditate.
d. Belief #4: "Meditation is relaxing
This is certainly the most common belief and I'm sure you've heard someone say this before...
Maybe you've even thought it (and there's nothing wrong with that.)
"To be "zen" and de-stress, let's meditate and life will seem more serene..."
Well no, that's not how it happens.
Meditation allows you to live the notion of the present and this present is not every day relaxing.
The practice of meditation takes you where you are, whatever your state of mind at the time. Practising meditation is a much deeper work on yourself than just relaxing.
When this practice is done regularly, then comes the true relaxation of the mind: the letting go.
e. Belief #5: "Meditation is emptying or blocking your thoughts".
This is an impossible fact! So it cannot be argued that meditation is about emptiness...
Emptiness is the nature of all things... it is not made: it is, and to meditate is simply to realize it.
That is why in meditation we accept our thoughts. We observe them without rejecting them.
The challenge then is not to let the thoughts take control.
These are five of the main misconceptions about meditation that are circulating today. I think you now have all the tools you need to spot these misconceptions and help people who have a false image of meditation.
Of course, there are many other false beliefs about meditation, but I think these are the most common.
