The Truth About Meditation No One Has Told You

March 8, 2023
By Stef Ziegler

When I first started meditating, I had a dedicated spot (and cushion!), an allotted time (at least 15 minutes), and a go-to posture (legs crossed, eyes closed, palms facing down for grounding or up for energy). My practice was strict, and if I missed a day, I would feel like absolute garbage. My inner critic would tell me how bad I was at meditating or how I would never reap the benefits if I missed a day.

A decade later, my practice looks significantly different. How you may ask? Well, I now meditate throughout the day. I don’t require a cushion or a timer, and my eyes are often wide open as I bring a mindful presence to whatever I’m doing (working, cooking, having a conversation with someone, etc). In other words, my practice has become less rigid and more dynamic.

I’ve learned that the purpose of meditation is to be present and aware of the way my brain is perceiving the world in a given moment — not to sit in perfect silence. It’s a way for me to calm my mind (and my body) by creating a little “gap” between the things that happen in my life and the stories my brain makes up about them.

My practice has taught me how to be with my thoughts instead of in them. This small but profound shift has resulted in more clarity, less stress and anxiety, and a deeper sense of calm, peace, balance and happiness in my life.

When I teach meditation I make it a point to encourage my students to practice off their mats, not just on. Gone are the days when the only way to benefit from meditation is by sitting in silence for hours at a time, going to an ashram, or giving up all of our worldly possessions to become ‘enlightened.’ In fact, the full benefits of meditation are most available to us when we apply its principles in our daily lives. And our daily lives generally happen off the mat.

To help you begin bringing off-the-mat meditation into your life, I’ve compiled a list of 31 ways to practice meditating (without closing your eyes). You can think of these as ‘micro meditations: brief moments of mindfulness in which you are watching your own thoughts, feelings and reactions—instead of being carried away by them.