How to Put More Magic in Your Meditation Practice

Many meditation practices start with the simple instruction of paying attention to the breath (or some other object of attention, such as sounds, sensations, or even the whole field of awareness).

Often, people think that when you meditate, you clear your mind of all thoughts. But minds wander – that's just what minds do. Rather than viewing this as a sign of failure ("I'm horrible at meditation"), best-selling author and meditation teacher, Sharon Salzberg describes it as a “magic moment.” She says:

The moment that we realize our attention has wandered is the magic moment of the practice, because that's the moment we have the chance to be really different. Instead of judging ourselves, and berating ourselves, and condemning ourselves, we can be gentle with ourselves.

Source: Unsplash, Deniz Altindas

What this means is that you can't fail at meditating! When your mind wanders, as it will, you can gently say, "Oh, my mind wandered. Let's go back to the breath now." This will happen over and over again, and that's OK. It's all part of the practice of strengthening your concentration.

You can also take this concept off the meditation cushion/chair and into your life. For example, if you find yourself frustrated and getting irritable at a coworker, remember it's "a magic moment." You can do an attitude adjustment on the spot (In Sharon's book Real Happiness at Work, she calls this a stealth meditation.) You can discreetly pause, take a conscious breath, and really think about what to say, or not to say.

This powerful message of the magic moment can be extended in many other ways:

• The magic moment is when we go from driving ourselves too hard to letting ourselves rest.
• The magic moment is when we move from trying to be perfect to being real.
• The magic moment is when we transform the feeling of isolation to realizing we're all in this together.
• The magic moment is when we stop fearing change and embrace uncertainty instead.
• The magic moment is when we come home to ourselves.

Right now, you can experience many magic moments as a part of a community of over 10,000 people meditating together around the world. The Real Happiness Meditation Challenge helps you explore what meditation has to offer, and is based on Sharon’s New York Times best seller Real Happiness. You sign up (it’s free!) and receive daily e-mails with audio instructions. There’s a lively group of bloggers sharing their experiences on her site and there’s also a lot going on with social media (search #commit2sit and #realhappiness).

Read about my Week 1 of the Real Happiness Meditation Challenge four years ago:

Just Breathe: The Experiences of a Reluctant Meditator

I'd love it if you follow me on Facebook.