Meditation is sometimes associated with religious or cultural leanings, and is often seen as difficult and complicated.

Some forms of meditation require you to say words you may not be familiar with, can include distracting sounds and noises, or ask you to sit in awkward positions for lengthy periods. Other methods may tell you how and what you are supposed to feel and thereby set you up with unrealistic expectations, which if not reached may leave you feeling discouraged and possibly negative about your meditation experience.

Many people are under the false impression that during meditation you have to “stop” your thoughts, which is virtually impossible. What does happen is that you learn to shift your focus from your thoughts and emotions to your breath or another focus point. By doing this you automatically “lower the volume” of your thoughts as your breath becomes your main focus.

Meditation is not complex – it’s quite simple. You don’t have to sit upright or chant words you don’t understand. Some minimal guidelines exist, but there are no rules to say what and how a person should feel during meditation because the experience is entirely yours.