What Meditation Isn’t: 5 Common Misnomers of the Ancient Practice

So you want to meditate… kudos to you for wanting to improve your mental health and life. When I’ve practiced it consistently, which admittedly wanes depending on the week, meditation has changed my life for the better. While some have tried to quantify meditation with a number, I feel like that might be doing meditations benefits a disservice. With regular practice, you just aren’t the same person you before meditation; suddenly there is space between thoughts and you are more present. You’re kinder, more loving and more patient.

But there is a lot of disinformation on what meditation actually is. I’ve heard wild things about meditation from people trying to reach astral planes or from novices who believe that meditation means clearing one’s mind of all thoughts. So without further ado, I thought I’d try to address 5 common misnomers about meditation.

1. Meditation will make you more productive at work and in one’s life.

My first point is a bit of a cheat because meditation actually will make you more productive at work if practiced consistently. (It’s no accident that enormous, billion-dollar corporations teach mindfulness). But as I’ve said elsewhere,

To use meditation as a tool to quell anxiety so you can…