You’re Not Doing It Wrong

Removing Evaluation From Our Practice

December 17th, 2017

Ever become discouraged while practicing meditation, as you were convinced you were doing it wrong, and thus incapable of practicing?

You’re not alone, it’s a thought that occurs for many. Though, unlike most other things in life, there is no right or wrong way to do meditation, and no good or bad practice; there is no need to evaluate the quality of our doing.

It’s only natural to appraise our practice, as in many other domains of our lives it’s highly beneficial to assess the quality of our actions. Yet, in meditation we are not seeking to produce or achieve results; there are no successes, or failures when it comes to building our self-awareness and learning to access the present moment. When we notice we’ve been lost in thought, we don’t judge ourselves or disparage our practice, instead we simply bring our awareness back to our breath (or whichever technique we have learned). In this sense, being distracted is not a failure or “doing it wrong,” nor does it represent that we are incapable of practicing, rather it is a critical part of realizing a deeper self-awareness. All practitioners experience it, how often it happens doesn’t make anyone better or worse.

Further, there are many different practices to build self-awareness, and with so many options, some may be thinking, “what is best for me?” Contemplative practice is experienced based, there is no one technique that works best for everyone. Overtime, we may come to see that the only “right” practice is the one we stick with.