Meditation is a practice that has been used since ancient times. Recently, meditation has become very popular in the United States, but what is meditation all about? Here are some common questions that beginners often ask about meditation.

Q: What is the difference between mindfulness and meditation?

A: Mindfulness is a practice that allows you to be in the present moment, and meditation is a tool of mindfulness. When you are mindful, you are allowing yourself to witness your thoughts but not become entangled in them. You are able to observe what you are thinking about non-judgmentally. 

Q: What is the purpose of meditation?

A: When you take this undistracted time for yourself to become aware of your thoughts and feelings, you have more choice in how to respond to these thoughts and feelings. You are able to give yourself a break from thinking about the future, or ruminating on the past. When you meditate you are free to let go of your worries and experience relief. 

Q: What are the health benefits of meditation?

A: Meditation not only can help with your mental health such as reducing stress, building resilience, and becoming self aware. Research has shown meditation can have physical health benefits as well such as lowering blood pressure, getting better sleep, alleviating chronic pain, managing digestive disorders, and reducing headaches. 

Q: I have ADHD, can I meditate?

A: Absolutely! Meditation is not about stopping your thoughts or controlling them, it’s simply about observing them as they float by. 

Q: How can I get started if I’ve never done it before?

A: There are so many ways of getting started meditating, everyone is free to find what works best for them. For a beginner, one of the easiest ways to get started is to try a short guided meditation. It only takes a few minutes and shouldn’t feel hard. Remember, there is no right way to meditate. It is normal for your mind to wander, all you have to do is notice that your mind is wandering and bring it back to the present. There are many ways of meditating, try out a few and see what works for you.