Meditation is the new Bogeyman

"I can't meditate"

"I can't stop thinking"

"It's not for me"

Etc...

Think of an excuse to avoid meditation and I am 100% sure that I have heard it before. There are so many preconceived notions about this matter. Most people think that: a) one should stop thinking on the count of 3, b) one should be a certain way, or c) have a certain lifestyle in order to be ready to meditate.

Meditation needs to call "Vegan" and get their publicist's number, then go on a full name change "Plant-Based" transformation and get the hype going for them. It is time Meditation loses its woo woo stigma and find its way out of the new age lexicon. We need to stop thinking that meditation is only for monks in the Himalayas.

In a world where we have a screen (TV or computer) in front of us all the time, and we decided to put another screen in front of that (phones) and then another (smartwatches), it is hard for most of us to shut it all off and sit in silence. I get it. We are bombarded with information 24/7 and stimuli are everywhere. BUT ...exactly because our lives are like that, we SHOULD be in silence. Especially because everything around us is so hectic, we should find peace within us. And no matter what you believe in, silence should be part of your daily ritual to manage life in today's world.

There are enough studies out there saying that meditation is good for you (you can google those anytime in one of your 359 screens, or ask Alexa and Siri) and still it is hard to find the discipline to stop and be quiet with yourself. But finding the time to stop and unplug shouldn't be so hard. Think of the time it takes for you to find a good movie on Netflix.... there... it was enough time to have been on that same couch, with your eyes closed just noticing your breath. Think of the time you are waiting for someone to arrive at lunch, yes, that time you immediately pull out your phone and start replying an email or scroll through social media. That could have been another great opportunity to just be with yourself in silence, even if you are looking around at the things happening in front of you, in the moment.

The most important take on this is: know that meditation IS for you, no matter where you are and how crazy your life is :)