Myths About Meditation

Though meditation and its benefits are well understood, there remains a long list of myths that are frequently, and yet mistakenly believed. The following are a few of the most common myths about meditation.

Meditation is the same thing as relaxation

This is an exceptionally common misconception. It's not just a matter of thinking of something soothing and letting your mind "go limp." Indeed, meditation is frequently used for effective stress management, however, meditation isn't just a matter of calming down. It is a specific effort, with techniques and goals.

Meditation is the same thing as self-hypnosis

Though there are some similarities between meditation and self-hypnosis, they are not the same thing.

When hypnosis and self-hypnosis are used in therapy, they involve the guidance of a hypnotherapist in order to look into a certain problem, recall a certain part of the patient's past, or address another issue in life.

There are technological shortcuts to meditation

If you perform a query at a search engine, you'll find dozens, perhaps hundreds of sites promising that their device or CD, or tape will help you to achieve the instant benefits of meditation. Perhaps they may help you to gain some benefit, but it won't be through "instant meditation." These technologies fail to recognize the fact that meditation isn't something that just happens -- it's not a switch to turn on -- it's a specific effort.

The most common form of meditation is Transcendental Meditation

Many people have heard of Transcendental Meditation because it was the meditation technique chosen by the Beatles and other famous practitioners. However, in the grand scheme of things, it is a relatively minor form of meditation. This is likely because the meditation classes for this form are simply too expensive. In the West, the most common form of meditation is Insight Meditation, also known as Mindfulness, from Theradava Buddhism. A close second to Insight Meditation is Zen Meditation and then Tibetan Meditation.

Meditation can only be performed in the lotus position

In many Asian countries it is common to sit on the floor, making their hips quite flexible, and making a cross-legged posture quite natural and comfortable. The lotus position is one of those postures. However, in the west where most people sit on chairs and have stiffer hips, it is rare for the lotus position to be comfortable enough for use in meditation. Meditation can be performed sitting on a chair, a meditation stool, kneeling, or even lying down (though many people struggle to stay awake when meditating lying down).

Essentially, meditation should be done in any posture that may be comfortably held for the length of the meditation practice.

You have to repeat the sound "OM" when meditating

Meditating with a mantra is only one form of meditation, and the "OM" sound is only one mantra, or only a part of a mantra. There are many mantras, and many systems of meditation are entirely silent.

Meditation is a religious ritual

Indeed, many religions involve meditation as a part of their religious or spiritual practices. However, meditation in itself is not necessarily religious.

Meditation is solely an Eastern practice

Many Westerners associate meditation with religions such as Buddhism and consider meditation to be Asian or somehow foreign. However, even if meditation does feel a little bit exotic at first, it doesn't mean that it is limited to any religion, culture, or geographic area. Meditation systems come from around the world, and can be practiced by anyone.

Meditation is a form of escapism

Because of the focus and clearing of the mind of distraction that is used in meditation, many people think of it as a way of escaping the real world, running away from their problems, or ignoring the way things really are. However, meditating often involves facing up to inner problems, fears, pains, and angers, and prioritizing these over the superficial concerns of daily life. Meditation is the striving for the way things really are, not as they appear to be.

Meditation means allowing your mind to go completely blank

Instead of emptying the mind entirely, meditation is a reduction in the thinking so that focus can be achieved and a specific purpose can be sought. There are some forms of eastern meditation discourage conscious thinking, but the mind is not entirely blank. Meditation is more about filling the mind than emptying it.