Meditation - myths and misconceptions - the cardinal ten

No sooner had I clicked the 'Publish' button of my last blog - Meditation in Meltdown - I knew that I had blundered. I knew I had opened up a Pandora's Box for the melt-downers to come out with all their (mis)understanding of meditation which will allow them to justify why it cannot be allowed within the iron wall of corporates. And that led me to look at my four decades of association with meditation and meditative ways of living (which, of course, includes smoking and occasional indulgence with exquisite 'spirits' in liquid state)  and list down some of the many myths and misconceptions related to meditation that are prevalent all around. Here is the cardinal ten: 

1. Meditation is not necessarily sitting for a long time, with your eyes closed. You can be meditative while brushing your teeth, having your breakfast, driving your car or even attending a meeting, through Conscious Living.
2. You cannot ‘do’ meditation. Meditation is non-doing. Even in active meditation, where one is required to move, through guidance s/he is made to dissociate from the movement to be a witness, thereby getting into a non-doing state.
3. Yoga is not meditation. You do not need to bend your body and twist your limbs to meditate. You can meditate while standing, sitting or even lying down.
4. Addictive substances have nothing to do with meditation. They alter your consciousness and mimic the state of expanded consciousness that you may achieve through meditation.
5. You do not have anything to achieve, any objective to meet in meditation. Trying to reduce stress through meditation can make you more stressful. Meditating with an objective to attain enlightenment will take you farther, farther away from it.
6. Meditation is not consciousness, awareness or mindfulness. It’s a tool or a path to conscious awareness.
7. There are many methods of meditation and none of these are better than another. It completely depends on the one who meditates, the guide and ambiance on how effective a method can be.
8. Meditation is not necessarily a group activity, needing a lot of gizmos. You can be meditative alone in your own space without any prop, whatsoever.
9. Awakening, cleaning or alignment of chakras is not meditation. These are healing techniques with physical implications, having little or nothing to do with awareness, which is what meditation is a gateway to.
10. There is nothing religious or even spiritual about meditation. You do not need to learn stringent methods and rituals for meditating. You are, as a human, by nature meditative. All you need is a compassionate guide to remind you of this and you to re-member.

You may now check for yourself how wise your are - meditation-wise. And if you choose not to agree with me on any of the above, you are most welcome to invite me for an experience of a guided active mediation – So’Ham – that, inspired by Osho’s Dynamic meditation, I had designed about five years back. Since then more than 500 individuals have experienced and benefited from So’Ham. It’s an active meditation, guided by me, in groups of 10 to 15 individuals.

Leave a comment behind or reachme@indroneil.com if you have any doubts and /or if you are interested to experience the magic of So’Ham. Promise you, you will transcend all beliefs, for underlying every belief there's a doubt.