603 June 6 26 What it is so hard to meditate

Meditation: Why is it so hard to meditate?   

Up to 80% of people starting meditation will quit within a few weeks. Despite being too impatient and disappointed with their achievements, they quit because it is hard to meditate. 

It should be the simplest thing in the world, right? You just sit down, close your eyes, and focus on breathing . But the second you try, your brain suddenly acts like a tree full of hyperactive monkeys throwing a party. Zen is calling our mind:” a monkey mind” 

If you're finding meditation incredibly frustrating it is because you are actively working against your brain's natural, automatic  rebooting at rest.

It is called the "Default Mode Network" (The Daydream Machine)

When you stop doing mental tasks, a specific network in your brain—called the Default Mode Network (DMN in psychology)—automatically switches on. The DMN is responsible for mind-wandering such as: worrying about the future, navigating in the past, thinking about “To do” lists, analysing yourself, your thoughts / feelings.about meditation about zillion other things, and looking for excuses for not meditating. It is estimated that our mind produces around 100,000 thoughts /24h.

When you meditate, you are trying to quiet this automatic  restless talkative inner voice. Because it's your brain's "default" state, it fights back with a vengeance, pulling your attention away from your anchor all the time.Our DMN will never disappear, even after many years of practice. Any tricks will be used by your mind to convince you to quit meditation because meditating is controlling the mind instead of the mind controlling us through the DMN.

The Myth of the "Blank empty Mind"

Almost everyone starts meditation thinking the goal is to stop thinking entirely. When thoughts inevitably pop up, they think: “I cannot stop thinking”.. "I'm doing this wrong.". “ It will never work”

But trying to force your mind to be blank is like trying to flatten waves in the ocean with an iron—it just creates more turbulence.

Meditation isn't about stopping thoughts; it's about changing your relationship to them. 

It's paying attention when  a thought arises, letting it go without analysing or  judging yourself, and returning to your focus (like your breath). This “back and forth” between anchor and thinking  happens all the time even after years of practice.  A flat EEG will be bad news. 

The under stimulated mind .

In everyday life, our brains are conditioned for constant stimulation: thinking, feelings, pleasure, sensorial inputs, notifications, stress, multitasking, etc,. When you sit in silence, your brain experiences an acute stimulation withdrawal. It is craving for stimulation-induced dopamine.            

(the reward chemical). So it starts generating its own mental entertainment in the form of random thoughts, anxieties, excitement, going in the past, planning for the future, or a sudden, intense itch on your nose, or craving for chocolate or googling. He is back  to the default mode previously described.

Finally:

Distractive noisy surroundings, sudden other priorities  can also be a challenge while meditating.

The Good News:

 Every single time you realize your mind wanders and you bring it back to its anchor, you just did one "mental bicep curl." The struggle is your brain workout. 

If your mind wanders 100 times and you bring it back 100 times during your meditation  that is a highly successful meditation session.! 

Remember this : the practice is cumulative. >  >>  >>>  >>>>  >>>>>