EP1: Three misconceptions about meditation

Joshua Dorfman: 00:00

Yes, yes! Greetings. My name is Joshua Dorfman. You are listening to the Traveling Temple. Today I want to talk about the three most common misconceptions about meditation.

Joshua Dorfman: 00:15

I've been teaching meditation for over 10 years in group settings and in private. And I've heard a lot of the same thing. And that's what I want to reveal and also respond to. Because if you're new to meditation or you've tried it, you still may be thinking the same thoughts or have the same questions about it or same feelings. And I want to clear all of that up for us today.

Joshua Dorfman: 00:40

Let's just get the elephant out of the room. The number one thing that I have heard, and I believe the number one misconception about meditation is that I can't quiet my mind and I can't sit still. But mostly I can't quiet my mind is what I've heard over and over and over. And my response to that is, yeah, of course you can't. [laughs] Not yet, anyway. I would say that in my over 10 years experience teaching meditation and hearing about people's experiences and hearing their responses, my perspective is that quieting the mind is an advanced form of meditation. It is something that we can all get to. It's definitely not impossible, but it's also not beginner. It's not the first thing that you should expect. And so I want to eradicate that right now and just invite you to eradicate it within your own mind and not have that expectation.

Joshua Dorfman: 01:35

It's better to come into meditation open to the experience, and coming into it just as an experiment or as play, right? Where there's less pressure around this accomplishment of quieting the mind, you might get snippets. Even in your first practice, you might have a snippet of that, or within your practice, you will come across snippets of that and eventually it will build. But for now, I want you to come into meditation without that expectation and instead, learn to breathe. Learn to listen to your breath. Because meditation is really about focusing, right?

Joshua Dorfman: 02:10

In order to quiet our mind, we have to be able to focus on one thing. You have to be able to concentrate on something. Basically, you're taking all the energy of your thoughts or your brain or your mind or all of the above, and you're giving it one thing to focus on. You're concentrating on one focal point. And so that's why Usually in commonly you hear focus on your breathing. That's because that's the practice of concentration, which will eventually get you to be able to quiet the mind. It's also why you'll experience a snippet of a quiet mind, because you're actually focusing on something, on one thing, and all your energy is harnessed onto this one thing, and you will eventually get to that place.

Joshua Dorfman: 02:52

Now, I'll give you the hack because we're here. And so, yes, practice meditation, practice. However, if you want to quiet your mind, how? How do I quiet my mind? The answer is listening. Come into a state of listening. Listen to anything, listen to something, listen to one thing. And you will notice because if you do this in a meditative practice where you're sitting down and you're practicing listening to something, you'll notice that your mind has actually gone quiet. So that's the hack. And that would actually be my first recommendation as the first practice of meditation to listen.

Joshua Dorfman: 03:32

What do I mean, what does that look like? Well, you can be in any environment to listen. You can be in your home, you could even be in a busy area outside, you could even be in the gym. But basically be in an environment where there's a lot of action happening, where there are many sounds and a lot of noise, and sit, breathe, and just listen to everything that you can hear. That's the beginner meditation practice that I recommend. That is what's gonna give you. You're going to actually stumble into that hack of, oh, wow, my mind is quiet. Oh, wow, I actually felt calm. That's my recommendation. Do it and let us know.

Joshua Dorfman: 04:10

Number two, I can't do or practice meditation because of my religion, or meditation is of a religious denomination, and therefore I can't do it because I don't practice that religion. And I'm gonna say let's eradicate this as well. Because, yes, we know of meditation because of Buddhism and because of Hinduism. And it is, something that is associated with both of those religions. However, there is so much scientific evidence from actual studies that proves why meditation is important. It shows what it can do. And because of what it can do, I say it's not of a religious denomination, but instead it should be a practice that everyone tries. And more so I want to say that meditation is a practice that everyone can try.

Joshua Dorfman: 05:07

And so some of those scientific facts and rewards for meditation is one, it reduces stress because studies have shown that meditation decreases cortisol, which is the stress hormone, helping the body to respond better to stress. Two, it decreases anxiety because of the mindfulness based aspect of meditation, AKA that concentration, that focus, that focus and concentration on one thing can reduce symptoms of anxiety. Number three, it improves mood. Because meditation increases activity in the brain regions associated with happiness and emotional regulation shuts as the prefrontal cortex, it reduces depression, it enhances focus and attention. It actually boosts memory, it improves decision making, it lowers blood pressure, improves immune function, reduces chronic pain. It promotes emotional regulation, positive thinking. It provides the ability to have an increased attention span, better cognitive performance. I mean the list goes on now because there's so many scientific facts and evidence of what meditation can do for our physical, mental and emotional health. I'd say that it is not of a religious denomination, but more so something that we should all give a try. That's my invitation to you.

Joshua Dorfman: 06:37

And number three is more of a question. And the question that I have received by many people throughout the years is what type of meditation should I practice? And to be honest, there is no one answer for that. Because there are so many different types of meditation, it's important to give a try to many different types because you will find the one that you really like. There is the meditation of breath work. There is the meditation that are guided visualizations. There is meditation revolving around sound, such as a sound bath or listening to binaural beats. There's of course mindfulness meditation, etcetera. There's so many different kinds. There's shamanic drumming, there's shamanic journeying, there's also chanting.

Joshua Dorfman: 07:28

My advice is to try different ones and see which one you like and then stick with that. Another question related to this that I get is "Should I do it in a group or should I do it by myself?" And my answer would be both. Try both because you need to find out what you like. You might like both. You might actually prefer a group. A lot of people over the years whom I've heard from have told me that they prefer being in a group because they're in a space, they're in an environment that is suited for meditation. They're being guided, so it's not up to them. They don't have to rely on themselves. And that brings a lot of ease. There's also the accountability factor because you're not the only one in that space. There's other people there who have come to meditate. And so just being in that space with other people who share the same intention as you is really motivational and inspiring. So try the group. I'd also try it by yourself. And again, listening to some music with binaural beats, for example, or chanting or a form of breath work or just breathing and listening to your breathing.

Joshua Dorfman: 08:36

Find what works for you and go with that. Sometimes when there's a lot of options, we can become very confused and feel lost. I don't know what to choose. And I always love to bring it back to simplicity. So while there are a lot of different types of meditation practices, I invite you to try multiple and find the one that you like and stick with that one. They're all great equally. They will all get you the results that you are looking for. Find the one that you like and stick with that and be consistent.

Joshua Dorfman: 09:12

And so we'll end it here, giving you that food for thought. Think about that. Do some research. I am here for you and it is my honor to do so. So I do invite you to ask me questions or list any topics that you would like me to speak on. And I will do my best to incorporate answers in future episodes. If you'd like to learn more about me, you can visit my website joshuadorfman.com, and follow me on Instagram @Joshua.Dorfman - Thank you so much for listening. Thank you for being. Peace and love.