But what if I haven't been meditating?

First of all, it's okay. There's no "wrongness" about it. Wrongness is just an idea.

And just to put it in perspective, no one starts meditating and goes forever without stopping. 

Certainly, breaks happen, yet what I really want everyone to see is the contrast between meditating and not meditating. 

Contrast is an excellent teaching tool. Contrast keeps us moving forward.

I want you to see what your life is like when you put meditation down... and then effortlessly pick it back up again.

Then what difference do you notice... in your life?

Are you more relaxed? More focused? More patient with loved ones? Feel like people are nicer towards you? Do you appear lighter and happier in the mirror?

Good! Those are good! Pay attention to those signals!

Those are the ones that tell you that "meditation is actually working". 

The trick is to have the attitude of "I don't care" when the contrary signals are telling you ...

  • "I have too many thoughts"...

  • "I have to keep re-introducing the technique"... 

  • "I don't feel like I'm in the flow"... 

  • "I'm not getting anything yet"...

The idea is to look at your life, not at your inner meditation experience.

As you can imagine, this is where we have to put on our grown-up pants. We must adopt a long view.

We have to say to ourselves, "well, that was an interesting meditation, I guess there was a lot of stress burning off. Or I'm expecting ____ and I need to let go of that. But I'm committed to this because I keep hearing how wonderful it is, so let's see how the next one goes. And I'm not going to draw a conclusion about this particular meditation until I go out into my life." 

In the same way that we take medicine with the faith that it will help us in the long run, we meditate for the long run too!

So it's not "wrong" if you've stopped meditating. Nor is continuous meditation "right" either. Both are just a choice.

You can do it, you really can! 

If you need support, write or call. Or ask when the next group meditation is. And if there isn't one, why not sponsor one in your home? That way you won't have to travel anywhere and you'll give and receive support :)

But do meditate and share your experiences with others. Discover that you're not the only one, and hear a different perspective from others who have been there too.