Are you “bad” at meditating?
Try meditating using sound as the focus.
Regular practice of mindfulness meditation helps to train the brain to come into the present moment — where worries and ruminations have a hard time sticking around. When we first begin meditating, our minds tend to wander a lot, and we can judge ourselves when that happens. If you think you’re “bad” at meditation, or focusing on the breath is difficult for you, you might want to try a meditation focused on sound. I find that the practice of a sound-focused meditation can be helpful if you struggle with other types of meditation — if it’s hard for you to keep your focus on your breath or keep your focus on a body scan — because the sounds that are changing from moment to moment provide a little stimulation that can be helpful.
Mindfulness is intentional focus on the present moment without judgment. This practice of paying attention to sound with a sense of curiosity— just taking it as it is — is perfect for mindfulness. Using a guided meditation first can give you some ideas of things to listen to, but once you get the hang of it, you can easily do it on your own too. The sound becomes the guidance.
I’m a licensed mental health counselor who enjoys sharing mindful meditations and information about mindfulness. Below is a transcript of a meditation I led on this topic, and at the end of the article…