Mindfulness Meditation is not about being positive, glossing over issues or trying to change. One of my favourite quotes is by Pema Chödrön (Buddhist teacher, author, nun) who sums it up beautifully:
“We may think that meditation will improve us, but it’s really about accepting ourselves as we are right now. When we start to meditate we often think that somehow we are going to improve, which is a subtle aggression against who we really are. Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are right now, with curiosity and gentleness.”
I have met many people who told me that they could never meditate because their minds are always racing and they didn’t know how to stop that from happening to actually meditate. I go back to Pema’s quote, that meditation is about accepting ourselves as we are right now. If my mind is racing, I notice that and gently bring my focus back to something that anchors me in the present moment. I may have to do that numerous times in a session, but that’s okay. I accept that my mind is racing that day.
Often our thoughts loop around on familiar subjects, and meditation often offers me a glimpse into this. Again, I accept that this is what my mind does. It offers me a door into who I am and a way to accept myself.