Our brain can only think of one thing at a time, so by giving it something to do,
you're making it less likely for your brain to get distracted.
What's up everyone? I'm Supreet, this is part 3 of my "Meditation Tips for Beginners" series.
If you missed part 1 and part 2, you can watch them by clicking on the playlist
in the top right corner. I upload new videos every Sunday, so you can expect
part 4 next Sunday.
When I first started meditating, my biggest challenge was that as soon as I sat down to meditate,
my mind would start to wander. I had non-stop thoughts!
For example, do I have an itch on my shoulder?
What am I going to eat for lunch today? I wonder how many minutes are left on my
timer. I found that to be so frustrating because it felt like I'm not really
meditating, I'm just sitting and thinking with my eyes closed.
A lot of people have this misconception that meditation means that they have to empty their mind.
Having this unrealistic expectation is a sure way to set yourself up for failure.
Just like we can't stop our heart from beating, we cannot stop our mind from thinking!
I have been meditating for 4 years and I still get distracted by thoughts.
Tim Ferriss, author of many books and host of the "Tim Ferriss Show"
podcast, he says that his sessions are 99% monkey mind.
So what do you do when you get distracted by thoughts?
I'm going to share with you 4 things that I do to deal the distractions and these 4 things took me years to learn.
First thing, you don't beat yourself up for getting distracted.
Instead, you congratulate yourself for noticing that, you pat yourself on the back.
And once you have noticed that you got distracted, you bring your attention
back to your object of focus which could be your breath, a mantra, your body or a
sound. You may have to bring yourself back to your object of focus 50 times in
one session, and that's okay! The more you do it, the less you will need to do it.
The second thing I do to deal with non-stop thoughts is to observe my thoughts and label my thoughts.
I have made detailed videos on both these topics - observing your thoughts and labeling your thoughts -
which you can watch by clicking on the top right corner above and also I will
link them in the description below. They will really help you.
The third thing I do to deal with my monkey mind is to use meditation techniques that make the
brain busy so it is less likely to be distracted by thoughts. Our brain can
only think of one thing at a time. So by giving it something to do, you're making
it less likely for your brain to get distracted. I have made a few videos on
meditation techniques which accomplish exactly that - make the brain busy so it
is less likely to be distracted by thoughts. For example, there is Nadi Shuddhi
in which we alternate breathing from the two nostrils, then there's mantra
meditation, body scan meditation, 4-phase-breathing, and so on. I have compiled them
into a playlist called "Easy Meditation Techniques" which you can find in the top
right corner above, and I'll also link it in the description below.
There is a mix of Western and Eastern style meditations, but they are all quick
and they're all easy - I promise! If I can do it, you can do it!
The fourth thing I do to deal with my monkey mind is to switch things up.
If I have been doing 4-phase-breathing for many days in a row, I get bored with it and guess what?
When I'm bored, my mind is more likely to think of something more interesting, like
"I wonder if my online order is arriving today?" So as soon as I start getting
bored doing one meditation technique, I switch to a different one. Or, if I have
been meditating on my own for a while, I will find a guided meditation on YouTube
and follow along. I have lots of other very doable and very practical tips for
you, which I will be uploading in the coming weeks as part of this series.
Next week you can expect a video on the right posture for meditation. To make sure you
don't miss that, please subscribe and hit the notification bell. I'll see you next
Sunday with part 4 of my "Meditation Tips for Beginners" series.
Good luck and happy meditating!