For the longest time I thought the purpose of meditation was to “clear your mind.” Think nothing, do nothing, be nothing. I didn’t understand why people would try to do this, because wouldn’t this be like sleeping almost? Or like a trance? Why would I want to be in a trance? It sounded like a waste of time.
I’ve been trying to strengthen my meditation practice for the last few years. It’s hard. Meditation can be boring. It can also be stressful for me because I desperately want to do it right, but I don’t exactly know what I’m doing or why I’m doing it. It’s like, what’s the point of doing this? Everyone’s telling me it’s good for me, but I don’t get it.
I do a lot of guided meditation because I find it easier to focus when someone’s telling me what to do. The person guiding me always tells me to focus on my breathing. If I notice any thoughts come into my mind, I am supposed to notice them and move on, or let them go.
Okay, but like, WHY? And HOW?
I assumed the purpose of meditation was to think no thoughts at all and have a completely empty mind. (This is false!) I felt like a failure because I’ve never been able to achieve that. Since guided meditations are often used by beginners, I thought being told to gently guide my focus back to my breathing was a thing said to noobs so they can one day get into the trance. (This is also false!)
I have about 15-30 unique thoughts every sixty seconds. My brain is always on. And I am acutely aware of the sensations in my body. My internal world is the equivalent of downtown Tokyo. In other words, it’s busy! I have a hyperactive mind. I always thought I just sucked at meditating because I was constantly redirecting my mind every few seconds.
Turns out I’ve been meditating correctly this whole time! The true purpose of meditation is to notice your conscious thoughts and to train yourself to focus on a single thing. If possible, that focus should connect your mind to your body, or connect you to the universe/a higher power. The longer you can hold that focus, the better. That’s why breathing is so often used as an anchor. In guided meditations, typically a mantra is used for focus.
I think of meditation like building up my sheild. Without meditation, thoughts are flying around wild like arrows. Most of them are your own, but many of them actually come from others and you don’t realize you’ve adopted someone else’s thoughts. Without a sheild, you’re obviously going to get hit with multiple arrows. Or you might feel stuck, afraid to move because you are trying to avoid getting hit. With a big enough sheild though, you can block them all and move a little bit more safely and easily.
Holy shit, this changes everything, right?! Now that I know the true reason for meditation I can stop beating myself up for sucking at it lol. I’m actually kind of good at it and I didn’t even realize!
When you’re not meditating, what you’ve learned through meditation helps you slow down time in the real world, like in the 2002 movie Clockstoppers. (A dated reference, I know. Go stream it somewhere if you haven’t seen it.) Suddenly, you can see a situation from different angles. It helps you observe what’s happening around you and inside you without it impacting you. You become detached from the moment and can observe it from a new perspective. But just like in the movie, it’s actually all happening lightening fast. It’s really cool. It’s almost like meditating gives you special powers.
In conclusion – Your brain isn’t supposed to turn off. You’re not supposed to enter into a trance or fall asleep. It’s normal for your mind to wander and for thoughts to come and go.
When you control your conscious mind, you control your emotions. You control how you feel. You control how you spend your energy. When you control your energy you can harness it into what matters most to you. When you’re focused on your divine purpose, you’re living an authentic life. Authenticity leads to greater peace and happiness.
It’s all connected.
The Chelsea Chronicles 
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