Many of you may have read this headline and thought ‘dangers of meditation?’ All over the internet, and in fact the world, you’ll be able to read articles and surveys stating the positive benefits of meditation and rarely about anything negative that it can do.
And that’s because there is very few! However, when meditating, you may find that certain things happen that make you feel a bit ‘not normal’. Today, I’m going to explore five of these dangers as well as how to stop them happening to you.
Cravings
One of the most surprisingly common hindrances to occur during meditation is craving something halfway through that you then can’t take your mind off. This could be smoking, a drink, some kind of food or something that starts when one of your senses picks something up, making a sound or a smell.
As with all areas of mindfulness, take note of this craving, just as you would an intruding thought, recognise it for what it is and then move on.
Anger
Anger is also another extremely common way to feel during a meditation session, especially when things aren’t going as you expected them to. You may find yourself constantly distracted, or you may feel pains or aches in your body that don’t seem to go away, causing you to become distracted.
Again, just like all aspects of mindfulness, it’s important to acknowledge this danger for what it is, taking note of it happening. Then, simply return to concentrating on your breathing.
Anxiety
More commonly referred to as restlessness, this is when your mind is finding it impossible to go quiet and still. In Buddhist terms, this is known as ‘Monkey Mind’. Of course, every human suffers from some kind of anxiety, especially when actually listening to what their mind has to say.
However, the best way to get through this problem is by practising meditation regularly. The more you practice, the better and calmer your mind will become.
Doubting Yourself
Another extremely common worry that meditators face is doubting themselves and their practice during their sessions. So many unique thoughts can come into your head, some along the lines of ‘am I practising properly’, ‘am I doing it right?’ or ‘should I be doing something else like work right now?’
These are all extremely common, especially when you’re starting to get into the habit of meditating when you’re starting out. However, these thoughts will pass in time as you start to improve. It may be beneficial to use a guided meditation to follow and focus your mind.
Laziness
In Buddhist terms, this is known as ‘sloth’, and it’s so difficult not to get angry during your sessions if you begin to fill this way. Your mind and body may start to feel dull, lazy and tired which can be very distracting when you’re trying to concentrate.
However, there are several things you can do to overcome this. Firstly, try breathing more deeply and with more focus. You can also try using a guided meditation to keep you focused and away. You may even want to stand up during your session just to wake your body up or even do the whole session standing in mountain pose.
With all these considerations above in mind, you may want to focus on what time of day you meditate.
For the best benefits, you’ll want to meditate in the mornings as soon as you wake up. This is when you’ll be more awake but try altering your routine if it doesn’t work. If you’re really hungry when you wake up, have a breakfast and then meditate.
If you leave your practice to the end of the day, you’re far more likely to be tired and distracted with everything that happened, but it’s also a great way to wind down.