When I mention meditation a lot of my clients start rolling their eyes. They tell me that they’ve already tried it before and it doesn’t really work for them.

But meditation is so amazing and has so many benefits that it’s such a pity to miss out on it. So today I will share with you what mistakes you might be doing if you think that this practice does not work for you and what can you do to experience great results and get those amazing benefits!

Meditation is certainly one of the most powerful tools to help you master your thoughts and emotions. But not only that, it has countless other benefits. From reducing anxiety to increasing your focus and productivity. However, meditation as well as yoga, has become more of a fashion these days rather than a mindfulness practice and many people don’t know what it really is anymore and how to do it correctly.

So if you haven’t been successful in meditating, this is for you.

So let’s talk about some common mistakes in practicing meditation and how can you reverse them to experience great results.

1. You do not take time to prepare for meditation.

While it’s ok to meditate on the spot, if you are a beginner, it can be very beneficial to take time to prepare for your meditation. It will help you to develop a routine and also anchor your experience so that the next time you meditate, it will become more and more effortless and you can get in the state of meditation much faster.

So first of all, just take a shower, relax your body.

During the day your body’s electromagnetic field gets exposed to positive ions from electrical equipment which drains your energy and since falling water produces negative ions, it helps you to neutralize the imbalance. Being exposed to negative ions produces biochemical reactions in your body and increases levels of serotonin which directly affects your mood. That is why we feel so good after a shower and we even get so many ideas in the shower.

Also, choose one location where you will be meditating and light a candle or burn incense. If you meditate in the same location each time and use these elements, your brain will associate it with certain states and brainwaves that you will be producing in meditation. It will become your anchor. So each time when you will use these elements (for example when you will smell the incense) you will get into this meditative state much faster.

2. You do not go deep enough.

Some of my clients told me that they do their meditations while exercising or doing some other activities. If that is you too, it’s time to stop this. These kinds of meditations will give you no results (at least at the beginning). To experience the profound effects of meditation, you have to allow yourself to relax. You want your body to let go of any physical tension and you want your brain to waves to slow down. That certainly cannot happen if you’re preoccupied with something else at the moment.

I know that in the beginning, the practice of meditation might seem a little boring and time-consuming. You might think that doing something while meditating is a good idea and can save you some time. But no, it is not a good idea, because you will not gain any real benefit from it and you will just get fed up with it sooner. So allow yourself to experience what meditation really is and be present in this practice. If you do this, you will soon fall in love with it and won’t question anymore if it really works. So be present!

3. You use meditation to escape.

Some people think that meditation is a place to disconnect from their lives. However, it’s the complete opposite – it’s a place to connect. Connect to yourself, to your emotions and to the moment itself. That means that you do not need to ignore your thoughts, emotions, and stories and focus on something else the whole time.

If you think that your thoughts and emotions don’t let you concentrate and meditate, you got it all wrong. They are a part of your experience.

Of course, there are different types of meditations and visualizations and they are all amazing, but at the beginning, it is very important to learn to simply be present and allow everything to happen. This is the practice that will eventually leak into your life and will help you surrender and be present from moment to moment.

At the beginning you don’t want to use effort and will power in your meditation – that’s what you already do all day long – you use effort! So rather than bringing this into your practice, you want your practice to be a place of conscious rest.

So what you need to do is to learn to observe all that is and allow it to be there. Even if it is annoying thoughts, emotions or physical sensations. Simply observe what is happening with non-attachement and allow yourself to rest in it. No matter how uncomfortable it is. Just rest in it. Don’t try to eliminate it, ignore it, fight it or resist it. Just simply rest in it. Learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.

4. You have expectations

If you have expectations of how your meditation should go or what should happen during it, you will not be able to be present with what is and that will defeat the purpose of meditation.

If something will go not the way you expected, you will start feeling frustrated and you’ll think that it is not working. You will start judging yourself and thinking that you are doing something wrong.

So start with ZERO expectations and that will save you so much energy, frustration and time.

Do not expect to feel more peaceful, to find answers, to have a spiritual experience or to awaken your senses. Of course, if those expectations come up, just be with them, witness them, and let them go. Do not engage in it or take them one step further.

Just focus on rest and being present.

5. You do not do it consistently

One of the main secrets to achieving results in any area of your life is consistency. The same goes for mediation. Consistency is very important. It is more important to meditate every day for 2 minutes rather than once a week for 1 hour. Think about brushing your teeth. Would they stay healthier and cleaner if you brush them for an hour once a week? I don’t think so!

So set a time that you like and start doing it consistently at least a couple of minutes a day. My favorite time to meditate used to be 11:11. Now I go to sleep so early that this is impossible for me, but if you’re a night owl maybe this will work for you. Some people suggest meditating right after coming back from work so you can clear in a way your mind and change the thought flow. That is also a great idea.

When you’re able to commit to this practice and you establish a habit, you can start increasing the time. But first train yourself to stay consistent, because that’s what will really bring you results.

So these are the 5 mistakes that you might be doing if you think that meditation does not work for you.

Keep in mind that this advice is for a specific type of meditation – a mindfulness practice. As I mentioned before, these are different types of meditations and they are all amazing. But I believe that before moving on to other practices, everyone should experience this because it will help you to stay present in your daily life and start experiencing what life for what it really is.

I meditated for 6 years before I really learned to meditate and had my spiritual awakening. You don’t have to wait that long if you start with the right tools and practices.

I hope this helped you, if you have any questions, comment below!