The Five Most Common Meditation Questions

The Five Most Common Meditation Questions

We’ve been on this journey for more than a decade, helping people live a more mindful life,  and there are a few questions we get over and over again. Here they are, in no particular order, with some short answers that’ll help you get started and you can be sure there are more detailed answers in the app.

Do I have to sit on a cushion with my legs crossed?

Heck no! Other traditional ways to meditate include standing, laying down, sitting in a chair and walking. You can try them all in the app and see what works for you or switch it up depending on your day.

How do I know if I’m doing it “right”?

You can’t really do it “wrong”! We’ll give you proven (and well-loved) meditation techniques but the journey’s yours. You get to decide what’s working for you and what isn’t, and we offer a lot of different ways in. So feel free to switch it up when things change again — because they will. The app will help you find or revisit meditations for where you’re at and what you want to explore.

Can I have some background noise or music?

You can — you can even meditate in the app with sound as the focus of your meditation. But don’t count out silence. We have so much stimulation in our lives that hanging out in silence might feel strange and hard, but there’s a beauty to the experience, with peace and creativity in it. The kind of meditation we teach encourages exploring silence so we don’t have background music or even white noise in the app.

What’s the difference between meditation and mindfulness? Do I have to meditate to be mindful?

You could think of meditation as the practice you do ahead of time and mindfulness as what you’re capable of as a result..some text

•  If you’re a musician, you practice thousands of hours so you can bring your music to others. 
• If you’re an athlete, you train and lift weights so when you race, play or hike, your body’s ready.
• Meditators practice being aware of what’s happening inside them and picking a response so when we’re living our lives, we see what’s going on with us and we can choose how to handle it.

What’s supposed to happen when I meditate?

Great question. Well first we won’t say it’s about having a particular kind of experience or “clearing your mind” or “not thinking.” When we’re meditating, we’re practicing two things: noticing and choosing. You practice noticing what’s happening in your mind and body. You practice choosing what’s happening in your mind with gentle nudges back to your focus. What happens next – depends. And it changes, too. And really that’s one of the things we like about it.  

Conclusion 

The app (maybe just searching the names of the meditations shows you where you want to go) and our Meditation FAQ are there for you. The Podcast too. Happy exploring.