Photo by Samuel Austin on Unsplash

TL;DR → Until and unless you experience it, you’ll not be able to make a logical case as to why you should meditate i.e. the more you meditate, the more you’ll want to meditate.

Ever since I stepped into the world of spirituality, there is one thing that has been the most concerning and fascinating at the same time — how we try to logically explain spiritual concepts (and fail, at least initially) and how our ego prevents us from meditation.

Let me explain.

In this highly technologically driven age, all of us have almost been programmed to think logically or emotionally.

Whenever someone tells us to do something, our mind immediately starts looking for a reason as to why the particular task/advice would make logical sense.

It is good to think for yourself usually but we miss a lot of good things when our mind cannot explain their nature — which is the case with most spiritual practices when one hears about them.

“I don’t understand it, therefore I won’t do it.” And then soon enough you put such things in a bucket named “Woo-Woo”.

If we were to keep our logical mind aside in such cases and just go with the flow, you’d realize that it is the single most beneficial step that you can take in your spiritual journey.

As an example, let’s talk about meditation and my own personal experience with it.

When I started with meditation, I realized that there are numerous benefits that can come with it. The list was laughably long, indeed.

BUT, even though I knew the benefits, I struggled to make it a habit for a long time.

Why?

The Ego.

You see, we have a higher self that wants to go towards God (or Love, Happiness, Joy, or whatever you call it) but our Ego finds tremendous excuses to prevent us from doing that.

The logical mind often is just a part of the Ego.

Check-in your logic at the door, please

“Do not be anxious if you don’t have meditative experiences. The path to God is not a circus! Don’t even be anxious about such fruits of meditation as inner joy and peace. Everything will come in time. Meanwhile, consider meditation, too, as a form of karma yoga: an action without desire for the fruits of action. Meditate above all to please your higher self, not your ego” — Parmahansa Yogananda

Have you ever made excuses to avoid meditation like ‘I am too busy’, ‘I am tired”, “I just don’t have the time”, “I can’t focus” etc?

The list goes on and on.

You see, when our logical mind (Ego) tries to make a case for meditation, it usually decides not to do it!

Why?

Because chances are, it doesn’t even know the benefits that come with meditation!

Moreover, the path is not the same for everyone. If someone feels more joyous throughout the day and increases his productivity by 200%, and you set the same expectations for yourself, you’re going to leave the habit pretty soon.

Heck, you won’t even do it long enough to turn it into a habit.

The underlying point is — don’t judge your progress or compare your progress with anyone else.

Go into the practices without expectations for you can’t predict what specific benefits you will have and how long will it take for them to show.

Although regular introspection is required to observe the positive changes in your life and to advance in your practices, do not try to logically decipher every piece of spiritual teachings at first.

The teachings are given (in most cases) by people who are highly developed spiritually. Thus, often we don’t understand what they mean when we try to think of it logically until we are on the same level as them in our spiritual path.

It is also quite difficult, at least in my experience, to put to words any of the spiritual experiences that I have had.

Thus, something that is so experiential and personal should not be debated logically because it is out of understanding for most people.

The key here is to meditate just to meditate and do not attach an outcome to it, unlike other activities. When it becomes an autotelic activity (and end within itself), that’s when you’ll truly be able to stick with it in the long-term.

“Meditate regularly, and you will find a joy inside that is real. You will then have something you can compare to sense pleasures. That comparison will automatically make you want to forsake your sorrow-producing bad habits. The best way to overcome temptation is to have something more fulfilling to compare it with.” — Parmahansa Yogananda

Conclusion

Don’t make meditation an activity that you will do one day when you find time for it. When you make it a priority you’ll see that you’re able to function in life much better in all aspects and it would prove to be the best use of your time!

The more you meditate, the more you’ll want to meditate :)

Clap with your heart open! ;)

I hope you enjoyed reading the article and found it valuable. If you have any feedback, please reach out to me on LinkedIn or Twitter!

---

Are you serious about becoming the best version of yourself? Get your free 5-day email course to Master The Art Of Personal Transformation