Meditation Myths

When many people hear the word “meditation,” a picture arises: a serene figure on a mountaintop, eyes closed, mind empty, body perfectly still. This image can feel impossibly out of reach - and for most of us, it is. The good news? It’s also a myth.

Myth 1: Meditation means emptying the mind

One of the most common misunderstandings is that meditation requires stopping thoughts. But the mind thinks just as the lungs breathe - it is its nature. In yoga, meditation (dhyāna) is not the absence of thought but the practice of observing thought without being carried away. Stillness comes not by force, but by relationship with the mind.

Myth 2: Meditation must be long and disciplined

Another myth is that meditation only counts if it lasts for 30 minutes or more. In truth, a minute of genuine presence is meditation. A pause at your desk, a conscious breath in a crowded supermarket, the quiet moment before class begins - all of these can be practice. Depth is not in the clock but in the attention we give.

Myth 3: Meditation is only for calm people

So many people tell us, “I can’t meditate, my mind is too busy.” Yet yoga philosophy reminds us that the very point of meditation is to meet the busy mind. Just as we don’t wait to get fit before exercising, we don’t need to wait to be calm before meditating. We practice precisely because the mind is restless.

Meditation as Everyday Presence

Meditation doesn’t demand a Himalayan cave. It asks us to notice this breath, this body, this moment. A candle lit on a table, a mantra repeated in the heart, a simple focus on sensation - each of these can become meditation.

When myths fall away, meditation becomes available to everyone, everywhere.

A November Reflection

In the dark stillness of late autumn, meditation helps us listen inward. Not to silence everything, but to discover the quiet thread of presence running beneath it all.

So if you’ve thought meditation isn’t for you, perhaps it’s just the myths getting in the way. Try again. Begin small. Let the practice meet you where you are.

Meditation is not about changing who you are. It’s about becoming deeply present to what already is.