You know all about the benefits. You've heard it touted as a cure-all for everything from insomnia to writer's block. But for a practice whose major draw is that it relieves stress, it seems almost cruelly ironic that - for the uninitiated - learning meditation often feels incredibly stressful.
For most beginners, attempts at meditation usually involve sitting still and trying very hard not to think. There is an immense amount of stress in this "trying" aspect, especially because you generally have as much success stopping your mind from thinking as you would stopping your heart from beating. The heart beats, the mind thinks - it's just what they do.
Success, therefore, doesn't lie in stopping all thought. It lies in creating
space
around your thoughts. Separation. So that rather than being led around by your thoughts, you can watch them come and go peacefully - rise and fall, like waves on the ocean. Easier said than done. But it can be done, with just a little practice. And maybe a little help.
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