5 Things To Give Up To Learn To Meditate

Here are a few things that , if you let them go, will not only make it easier to learn to meditate, it’ll also give you a happier, healthier and more fulfilling life.

When we hold onto things that we know are not good for us and that bring varying degrees of pain and suffering into our lives, then it begs the question – what are we doing?

Is it that deep down inside us there is a masochist tendency that is addicted to drama and pain, or is that we are simply creatures of habit that prefer sticking to the status quo rather than embracing change?

Either way, it makes no sense to hang onto anything that doesn’t serve us to live our lives to the fullest. That’s why today we can make a conscious choice to free ourselves from our past and move towards a brighter future.

1.Let go of being ‘Busy’ all the time

How often do you here the phrase, “I’m just too busy,” these days? Are you one of these people? What does ‘busy’ mean anyway and why do we seem so addicted to it?

Being busy is fine as long as it’s not affecting your health, happiness, relationships, and quality of life. There comes a time for most of us, and for some it happens too late in our lives, when we realise that all being busy is doing for us is causing pain and suffering.

Some are able to bury their head in the sand for awhile and pretend the rest of their life is okay while they travel through life at the speed of light, but that only hold’s water for so long. Eventually the dam breaks and we wake up and see the mess we have created.

If you find that you are caught up in the ‘busy-ness’ of life, then give yourself permission to slow down from time-to-time during the day, even if it’s just for 5 or 10 minutes. You can walker slower, talk slower, eat slower, move slower, or even make love slower. Just by slowing down your body, it’ll help remind you to enjoy the journey of life rather than letting it pass you by.

2. Let go of your thoughts

It is estimated that we have around 50,000 thoughts per day and many of these thoughts are limiting or negative in nature. Yes, there are also positive thoughts, but how sustainable is that for most people? When we worry or get anxious about things, get frustrated or angry, get stressed or depressed, then the mind tends to get into a pattern of negative thinking.

When this happens, then obviously it’s not good for our mental, physical, or emotional well-being and can lead to poor health and unhappiness. The way to stop your thoughts from having a negative impact on your time, energy and life, is to just spend a few minutes each day being mindful of your thoughts.

It’s actually a lot easier to do than you may think. It’s just a matter of focusing your mind on your breath coming in and out of your body, while watching your thoughts come and go without getting caught up in them. When you do this, your thoughts will slow down and go quiet of their own accord until finally you’ll have a calm, clear space in your head that deeply relaxes your mind and body.

3. Let go of judgment

How does it feel when you are judged by others? Do you want to thank them for their opinion, give them a hug and then think warmly of them as they walk away? Probably not, although it would be a very compassionate thing to do.

If you’re like most of us you probably get upset or angry when you feel judged. So if it does’t feel good to be judged, then why do it to others? By letting go of the need to judge others, you’re not only minding your own business, which frees up your energy for more important things, you’re also giving others the gift of acceptance.

When we feel accepted, we tend to be more open and trusting towards those who accept us for who we are, and it’s so easy to do. All that’s required is to listen and observe without giving an opinion unless it’s asked for.

Yes, it can be challenging at first to let go of the need to try and change or control someone because we think we know better. But, do we? And even if what we want for them to be, do, or have, would be better for them, it’s still their life and they have the right to learn things in their own way and their own timing.

4. Let go of excuses

Let go of making excuses why you can’t seem to find the time to give yourself 5 minutes a day to learn to meditate. There’s always going to be reasons why we don’t do a lot of things that we say we want to, yet never seem to make the time for.

Sometimes we just need to get real with ourselves and make sure that what we want and what we value are on the same page. if they aren’t, then they will most likely never make it past being anything more than just wishful thinking.

However, if meditating ids something that is important to integrate into your life, then drop all your excuses starting now and set your alarm for 5 to 10 minutes earlier tomorrow morning and just do it. Once you get over the first few days you’ll never look back.

5. Let go of your expectations

Expectations are always future based. Meditation is about being in the present. If your reason for meditating is only because you want to get something out of it, then mentally, you are setting yourself up for success or failure. If you’re expectation isn’t met, then this may cause you to lose interest in meditating.

Meditation should never be goal-orientated. It’s the art of doing nothing and learning to ‘be’ for a few minutes each day instead of getting lost in ‘doing’ all the time. The happiest people in the world are those that are okay with just ‘being’. They are happy whether they are silent and not moving, or they are happy when they are busily living life to the fullest.

True peace happens when we are in tune with both our inner and outer worlds, and have found a way to be okay with both our inner silence, and our outer chaos. For a person who can meditate anytime and anywhere the world becomes a much more harmonious place because we know that as long as we live from our center, we will be at peace wherever we are, and whatever we are doing.

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Michael Atma
Meditation Dojo Blog
Skype: michaelatma
Email: Michael@MichaelAtma.com

“I Teach You how to live a Happier, Healthier and More Fulfilling Life in Just 5 Minutes a Day!”

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