Beginning a meditation practice can be overwhelming, and there are thousands of experts out there telling you how you should be doing it!

In my journey I have come to realise, that all forms of meditation are a truly personal experience, meditation is so unique to each individual, therefore as you start the path to meditation, it is important to stay open. Take the time to really tune in to what works for you and what doesn't, what feels comfortable and what doesn't. Just because this expert or that guru or even me says so, doesn't mean it will be right for you.

As I share and teach, my intention is to give you tools that you can pick and choose from, ideas to help you discover yourself and what works for you, it doesn't mean you have to do it!

So, here are 5 mistakes people make when beginning meditation, hopefully this will help you to find a personal, sacred practice that is perfect for you.

Believing you have to be still in a quiet room, doing nothing!

Meditation comes in many forms. If you find you can't sit for 30 minutes listening to a guided meditation, that's ok. You may find meditation in reading a book, journaling, Yoga, going for a run, gardening, doing anything creative. The creative space is the most amazing way to connect to your energy, emotions and flow.

Having too many expectations

Now maybe you love the idea above, but you would still like to meditate the "traditional" way. The first thing I suggest is to check the expectations you have on yourself and meditation. Do you expect to go into meditation and completely black out, have no thoughts, meet your Grandma that passed, see angels or feel a certain way? I suggest before you begin to meditate you write them all down, get them out of your head and say to yourself, "I take out all expectations for this meditation ..........

(I will add the next part in my next point!)

Not setting intention

Setting intention before meditation is a great way to allow your body, mind and energy to just be, and go along with the experience. Intention can be anything - to calm thoughts, to heal a certain emotion, to connect and feel your personal energy, to calm anxiety or to just breathe and be. The tricky part is not allowing your intention to become expectation. I suggest adding to the affirmation above, "My intention is to be and experience what ever may arise" or "My intention is to relax and calm my anxiety and I accept how ever that plays out".

So the whole saying may be

"I take out all expectations for this meditation, my intention is to relax and calm my anxiety and I accept how ever that plays out.

Believing there that there are set rules and regulations

Hand positions, crystals, oils, music, sitting straight with your legs crossed, lying down, this time of day, that time of day, on a new moon, calling in every Angel and his dog for help and protection, The. List. Goes. On. And. On!

Lets address a couple of these so you get the idea.

*Although a straight spine is beneficial, for some people sitting up straight or lying flat on their back is not comfortable. I believe you can be on your access not matter how you sit or lie. I know plenty of people (myself included) who have struggled with back pain or other ailments! If you find it more comfortable to lie on your side do that. If you feel better sitting up on your couch, do that. if you are not comfortable you won't relax, and isn't that the whole point?

 *Let's talk about the time of day, month, moon cycle. I have tentative time for meditation now that I am used to doing it regularly, I have 3 kids, a job, sports, a house to clean and washing to do! I meditate when I can,  and I have never noticed any difference. I believe (and again this is just my opinion) the key is consistency, the more you do it, the easier and better it gets. If you would like to do an intentional meditation at the New Moon do so, if it feels right, do one at the Solstice...... you guessed it! If it feels right, do it!

That you shouldn't have thoughts during meditation

If this is something you expect, write it down and get it out. Even after 15 years, I still have some days where thoughts come through in meditation. The meditation, practice and mastery comes in how you handle them.

If your thoughts are that of the shopping list, kids sport, whether you took the meat out, just thank them and let them pass, come back to your breath. You can find more on this in the blog - Why Can't I Meditate? The Number One Reason You Think You're A Failure!

If your thoughts are more rapid and anxiety based, you can try to journal before you begin. Why are you anxious? Are these fears founded or unfounded? Your statement before meditation may go something like this. "I take out all expectations for this meditation, my intention is to relax and calm my anxiety. Please help me to release the fears and situations that are causing my anxiety to surface and be let go of safely".

 I hope this helps you to understand that your meditation practise can be anything you want it to be. There are no right or wrongs, choose what works for you. Play. have fun with it, try different tools, music and guided meditations.

Before you go please join me on Instagram or Facebook. 

PLUS, if you haven't already, grab your FREE Busy Mums Guide To Meditation....... Great tips for how to meditate effectively.......even with kids! You can get it here. 

Happy meditating!

Hayley XX

Photo by Katerina May on Unsplash