A question I hear so often is “how do I know if I’m meditating?”. It’s a great question and not always that easy to answer. Meditation, although it has been analyzed scientifically and has scientifically proven benefits, is really more of an art than a science. And each person’s experience can be very different. You’re sitting quietly and for the first few times you practice, you may be thinking: “am I there yet?”, “am I doing it right?”, “what if I’m just sitting here?”. And if you fall asleep, it can feel like the whole thing was a big waste of time.
Throughout my journey in meditation, I have learned several things about how to tell if you’re meditating. Some have been helpful and some not so much. So I’m going to share what I feel has been most helpful to me. And I hope it helps to clarify some of the mystery.
Throughout my own experiences and my studies, I have learned that there are two types of signs that you’re meditating. One is more physical and one is more emotional or life-oriented.
Physically, you could be feeling the following common physical sensations:
A feeling of lightness almost like floating.
Tingling in the palms or feet or both.
Upon returning to full wakefulness, the surroundings feel brighter, sharper and clearer.
A boost in energy, like you had a refreshing nap.
Aches and pains may have diminished.
Falling asleep after several minutes (this is because your brain naturally reduces frequency as you fall asleep and thus passes through lighter and then deeper levels of relaxation until your brain reaches the lowest frequency of deep sleep. If you can meditate into sleep, you’ve definitely meditated. If you can bring yourself back out, it’s even better).
Emotionally, you may start to notice the following:
A greater sense of calm, less emotional reactivity to situations that normally frustrate or upset you.
Greater sense of happiness and noticing more positive in your life v/s focusing on the negative.
Greater concentration and improved memory.
Lesser need for stimulants like caffeine, less overall fatigue, waking up in the morning more easily.
Lesser need for relaxants like nicotine or alcohol.
In a future blog post I’ll share more about why meditation brings so many benefits, but what’s important to understand is that when you meditate, you’re changing your brain. Your brain has developed certain thinking patterns over the course of your life, and when you meditate, you are taking a break from thinking this way, you are giving your brain a break and in doing so, your brain starts to form new neural pathways and connections, while slowly over time lessening the old ones. Paramhansa Yogananda, in his famous book Autobiography of a Yogi, describes the changes to the brain as though the brain were a record being played on a record player. Without meditation, the record player just goes round and round deepening the same grooves in the record. With meditation, new grooves can be made. Those new grooves or pathways correspond to new ways of thinking, new insights and a sharper clearer mind. By changing your focus onto breath or your body, you also bring new heightened awareness to small, almost imperceptible sensations like the flow of blood through your hands (tingling palms).
For me, I really benefited from journaling my progress. Journaling allowed me to notice small changes and keep track of them. I remember the first time I felt my palms tingle, it was very exciting. I often refer back to that practice when I feel my motivation is waning.
As with any other worthwhile pursuit, like fitness or diet, if you practice inconsistently, your results will be inconsistent. If you really want to feel the benefits, my advice is to start small and aim to practice every day. Try focusing on your breath for a few minutes before you fall asleep at night, then reflect on the quality of sleep in your journal when you wake up. Over time, start practicing a little longer, without the goal of falling asleep, by sitting up on the edge of your bed.
As you reflect back on your progress in your journal, you’ll become aware of all the benefits you’re realizing from even a short practice.
Be sure to leave me a comment and let me know if you have any questions. I would love to hear from you!
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