Why cant I meditate properly

Have you been in the position where although you have tried hard you just can’t seem to get your dharma practice working? You keep telling yourself that you should learn how to meditate or meditate each day for a week but, then life gets in the road!

You are not alone!

Most practitioners have faced this problem at some point. Some make it through, while others simply give up. If you want to be one of those who makes it, you need three key elements - patience, perseverance and consistency.

Patience is key for any endeavor be it spiritual or not. Would you expect someone to become a great musician in months? No of course you wouldn’t. So why get frustrated. Have patience and you will become better and always remind yourself that it will take time and in some cases allot of time. How much time I hear you ask! Well that will depend on the individual and your natural abilities. But most importantly it depends on consistency. Your consistency has a direct bearing on just how long that is.

Consistency is related to perseverance, in that without it, consistency will not arise naturally. Don’t think that just making up your mind to practice meditation each day is enough to set you self on a stable course. The decision to start is great but, if it no more than a spurt of energy or a reaction to an event in your live, then you are doomed to fail. For dharma practice and meditation to stay in gear so to speak, consistency is the most important element of the three.

Think of your practice like a set of scales. If you wanted to shift the balance of a set of scales from one side to the other, and you could only move one small weight per day. It will take longer if you only move a weight once a week or when we you have some free time, correct! Not only that but, what if on every day you didn’t move a weight, a weight was moved back to it’s original side! You will never shift the balance of the scales. So you can see from this that consistency is very important. 20 minutes of meditation a day everyday is better than 2 hours every week on a Sunday. Is 2 hours on a Sunday worthwhile you bet but, without a regular session your mind like a set of scales cannot make great advances along the path.

Perseverance without the ability to keep trying many people give up! They are unable to see the benefits of meditation and after a while think that it would be better if they go and do something…anything!
When you feel you motivation waning, read material on the benefits of meditation, or the biographies of the great yogis. Inspire yourself to give it one more crack!

With consistent practice you will be meditating just like the great masters of the past and present.
But remember meditation without proper study is like trying to cut a piece of steak with your finger.

Here is another post on developing a meditation practice