It Doesn´t Matter What Your Meditation Looks Like

"My intention is to meditate. What happens next is none of my business." Thom Knoles

Unlike other types of meditation, in Vedic Meditation we do not seek a specific experience. We do not try to silence thoughts, empty the mind, or control what happens. In fact, attempting to do so is almost like asking the heart to stop beating. The mind thinks; that is its nature.

Perhaps that is why so many people believe meditation is difficult.

In reality, Vedic Meditation invites us to do the exact opposite: stop trying to control the mind so we can go beyond it and allow the experience to unfold on its own.

It is not about *me* doing the meditation, but rather allowing the meditation to do its work within me. Each time we meditate, the body and mind take exactly what they need. That is why no two meditation sessions are alike—and that is perfectly fine.

The instruction is surprisingly simple: think the mantra in the easiest, most natural way possible. That’s it. Yet, we are so accustomed to believing that anything valuable must be complicated that we sometimes need to relearn how to trust in the intelligence of simplicity.

As long as you are thinking the mantra in the most natural way possible, you are doing it right.

Furthermore, everyone experiences meditation differently. Some people are more visual, others more sensory or emotional, and others more auditory. There is no single "correct" way to meditate, because every nervous system processes the experience differently.

And the same person will also experience different meditations from day to day.

Sometimes there will be many thoughts. At other times, long-held emotions may surface. There might be involuntary movements, memories, ideas, to-do lists, drowsiness, moments of profound silence, or even experiences of transcendence. And at other times, you won't even remember what happened.

And you know what?

All those experiences are valid. They are all meditation.

What happens during meditation responds to the body's intelligence and to whatever it is ready to release, integrate, or repair in that moment. The body knows exactly how to keep us alive: it makes the heart beat, regenerates cells, balances our functions, and carries out thousands of processes without us having to intervene.

Something very similar happens with meditation.

By accessing deep states of rest, we allow the body and nervous system to do what they were designed to do: repair, purify, reorganize, and expand—each at its own pace.

That is why we do not judge the experience. We simply allow it, trusting that the intelligence sustaining life also knows exactly how to sustain our process.

And perhaps most importantly, we must remember that the success of meditation is not measured during the practice itself, but outside of it.

We do not meditate just to enjoy twenty minutes of peace before returning to chaos. We meditate to gradually transform our nervous system and our consciousness, so that this peace ceases to be a mere twenty-minute experience and begins to become our natural way of living.

The true benefits reveal themselves in our daily lives: in how we respond to challenges, the clarity with which we make decisions, the lightness with which we live, and the depth with which we enjoy life.

With all my love and Jai Guru Deva, Isa