What to do when you can’t meditate ?

This is a very common problem. You make a routine for meditation and allot some time for meditating. However, despite your trying your level best, you find that on a one particular day or,  for some days in succession, you are not able to meditate.

Focus, simply is not there. You feel as if this whole thing is fake.  Meditation is not for you. No matter, how sincerely you are trying, you are just not able to focus. Time just fly away in that particular slot. You start by focusing on you breathing and, after 15-20 minutes, you end while thinking about that nefarious fellow in your office who is hell bent on creating as much problem in your life as humanely possible. Or you end up thinking about that marvelous shirt you wanted to buy in the Mall during your weekend trip but could not as it was for display only !

In nutshell, your mind go into the whirlwind of desires during that short dedicated span of meditation. And you are nuts.

So what to do in this situation?

Nothing. The very fact that you are realizing that it is difficult to focus during meditation is itself a positive step in the right direction.  You set aside some portion of time in your daily routine for meditation, you sit peacefully during that time for meditation and you tried in a genuine way to meditate. This itself is enough. Even if the end result was not as satisfactory as you wanted. The time that you spent trying to meditate is not all lost. Believe me. When you realize that your mind keeps wandering during meditation, you actually enhance your knowledge about the nature of your monkey mind.

The most difficult thing is to be aware  of this wandering of the mind. Once we get involved in the thought process, we give fuel to this wandering. But as soon as you realize this wandering, you gently come back to the very process of meditation. Then you again got involved in the wandering. Then again you realize and come back. And it goes on.

Slowly slowly, as you keep trying, you deepen your practice. You start choosing not to get involved in the thought process. And this involvement is the food of the mind. Once , the supply of this food is stopped, the mind starts following your command.

It appears difficult in the beginning.  However, as you keep trying, it become very easy. Eventually.

The key is to not get discouraged. When you are working on your mind, you are working on the most difficult beast in the world. It is extremely difficult to tame it. But you can tame it, provided you don’t get frustrated. Provided, you keep learning its nature.

In the long run, the very act of sitting daily for meditation, even if the same does not appear to have any effect on your inner being,  will bring remarkable change in you. Just wait and watch.

Regards,