Research consistently bears out that meditating a few minutes a day has significant benefits; it can increase your attention span, reduce feelings of loneliness, and decrease anxiety.
Plus, unlike a yoga class or a wellness retreat, meditating is free.
Still, only about 11% of Americans meditate, according to a report by the The U.S. Meditation Market.
If you've ever tried it, you might understand why.
Sitting in silence for a few minutes a day can feel at best pointless and at worst uncomfortable. And when you're done, it's unclear what progress you made, if any.
In other words it's hard to know if you're "doing it right." And if you are doing it right, how is that supposed to feel?
Jade Weston is a senior meditation producer at Ten Percent Happier, an app best known for its podcast which is dedicated to meditation, mindfulness, and dealing with difficult emotions.
There is no specific feeling you are supposed to have while meditating, says Weston, who has been practicing for 15 years.
"This is the kicker," she says. "You're supposed to feel whatever you actually feel. The idea is that a moment of mindfulness is a pause where we feel what we feel without reacting to it. Without judging it."
Still, there are questions you can ask yourself which serve as "checkpoints" to help you monitor whether you're meditating correctly, Weston says.
3 mental 'checkpoints' to help you meditate the right way
1. Where am I placing my attention?
All minds wander. The goal of meditation, though, is to catch your mind wandering and bring your attention back to one, focused practice. You could refocus on your breath or feeling the weight of your body sitting in a chair.
Don't get discouraged if you catch your mind wandering multiple times during a meditation session.
"If we are learning any other new skill it's going to feel like we are bad at it at first," Weston says. "You're not messing up by having a mind that wanders. It's the same as having a heart that beats."
Asking yourself this question will help you exercise a muscle and train you to have more agency over where your mind goes.
You're not messing up by having the mind that wanders.Jade Westonsenior meditation producer at Ten Percent Happier
2. How am I feeling right now?
Your thoughts might be overrun with daily tasks and anxieties so much so that you forget to take stock of how you feel. Meditation is a time to take your "internal temperature," Weston says.
Think about what mood you're in, but do so without attempting to alchemize it.
"We are not just sitting down to meditate and try to make ourselves feel differently than we do," Weston says. "We are paying attention to where we are at and how we are feeling. We are not manipulating ourselves into cheering up."
3. What is my intention?
If you're starting to feel like practicing is hopeless, remind yourself why you started in the first place
It might have been to manage stress or limit distractions.
"There are so many reasons people might meditate," Weston says. "Taking a beat in meditation practice to remember why you are meditating can give you a little wind in your sails."
