It’s Okay to Dislike Meditation
Practicing Eastern forms of meditation entered mainstream Western culture well over a decade ago after primarily residing within the counter-culture since the 1960s. The integration and acceptance of meditation as a valid practice for promoting mindfulness, reducing stress, and balancing the body’s nervous system has been greatly influenced by scientific research that could finally “prove” or back-up the claims that people have been making about the benefits of meditation for, well, thousands of years.
Other well-known benefits of meditation include:
Improved memory and cognitive function
Increased attention and ability to focus
Better sleep
Pain reduction
Lower blood pressure
Reduction of symptoms of anxiety and depression
Enhanced compassion for self and others
At this point, many people are aware of how meditation can greatly improve their mental and physical well-being, so what prevents people from practicing meditation, and why do so many people find meditation agonizing or unbearable?
While meditation can take many forms such as breathing meditations, mindful meditations, guided meditations, chanting or repeating mantras, or even movement-based meditations such as Yoga or Qi-Gong, meditation is traditionally practiced in a seated position while keeping the body still.
The word for meditation in Chinese literally translates to “sitting still, doing nothing.” For us Westerners who primarily live in highly stimulating environments, engaging in such a practice can be experienced as deeply unsettling because it’s an unfamiliar experience and we haven’t trained our restless “monkey minds” to embrace silence and stillness.
When we look at practicing meditation through a trauma-informed lens, we can clearly understand why meditation is even more difficult for people with unresolved trauma and mental health issues. As a result of trauma, people's bodies physiologically adapt to become hyper-vigilant of their surroundings, meaning that their “fight-flight” function never fully turns off. This chronic state of hyper-alertness can lead to even more mental, emotional, & physical distress, but it’s difficult to change because it’s occurring on an automatic, biological level - not a cognitive level that has choice involved If you’ve been operating in a state of body and mind that tells you to constantly be aware of your surroundings, meditation feels like a threat to the sense of safety that having a huge guard up brings.
The best way to discharge this nervous or anxious energy is through movement - any type of movement! Walking, running, hiking, cycling, dancing, stretching, jumping, swimming, and the list goes on and on. Movement helps the body clear itself of excess nervous or anxious energy so that hyper-vigilance dissolves and a sense of safety can finally be experienced. In essence, the body goes from “fight-flight” and into “rest-digest” in a more effortless manner. This idea was understood by Paramahansa Yogananda when he brought Yogic teachings to the United States. He was aware that Americans would be unable to immediately begin a meditation practice, so practicing the physical form of Yoga asana was the key to allowing people to discharge nervous energy and calm the body, therefore allowing an individual to be physically and mentally receptive to practicing meditation.
Within the Authentic Tantra™ modality, the meditations that are practiced are a form of energy medicine from 5-Element Tibetan Buddhist Tantra. Similarly to the meridian system within Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tibetan medicine works directly with the energy body as well for healing. The energy body is understood as senior to the physical body, meaning that all physical manifestations in the body arise as a result of energetic harmony or discord.
As a teacher and practitioner, I understand the profound impact of meditation, in particular, these meditations that harness the power of the 5 elements; fire, earth, space, air, and water. However, being able to start with a simple practice such as counting 10 breaths can be nearly impossible for someone with high levels of stress, anxiety, mental disturbance, or unresolved trauma.
It’s completely understandable that people may have an aversion towards meditation or even the idea of practicing meditation despite being aware of the health benefits. I’d like to believe that everyone can benefit from meditation, so within my work with others, incorporating movement is often the best way to allow the body to rid itself of excess energy and become receptive to a still and quiet environment that would typically be experienced as uncomfortable, distressing, or unsafe.
People who meditate regularly most likely didn’t jump into a practice with pleasure, ease and without any obstacles. Meditation isn’t for people who are naturally calm, peaceful, present, and relaxed - it’s for people who struggle with these things! Which by the way, is a completely human thing to experience and why it is so revered by the Eastern cultures that contributed to and expanded upon its growth thousands of years ago. Yoga, Taoist meditation, Buddhist meditation, and other Eastern and Indigenous practices of the mind, body, and spirit all recognize the preciousness of “stilling the fluctuations of the mind.”
You don’t have to like meditation or ever practice it if you don’t feel the desire to, but understanding the common obstacles many people face when considering starting to meditate can help create a foundation that can transform aversion, fear, or apprehension into curiosity and a joyful, pleasurable connection.