How I learned to meditate even with ADHD

Meditation is such an essential part of my daily life that it's hard to believe I couldn't sit still for more than a minute at one time. Now, I meditate several times a day, lead guided meditations, and teach others some of the techniques that have helped me find deep meditative states. What helped me learn to meditate wasn't the cliche of "clearing my mind" or focusing on my breath. It took lots of subtle shifts in daily activities, attitude, and practice. Here's what I learned on that journey!

1) Meditation is a practice.

You don't have a good meditation or a bad meditation; it's all meditation. Even as someone who meditates at least two times a day, there are times when it can be harder to settle. This restlessness isn't a reflection of me doing something incorrectly; it's a symptom of being human. Life isn't static, and we will have days when things can be more challenging.

2) Meditation is about letting your mind clear, not clearing your mind.

I've got no clue where that misconstrued concept arose, but you can shed that idea now. I liken the intention of meditation to the following example.

Place a pencil in the middle of a rubber band and hold both ends while twisting the pencil. Continue to do this until you notice tension or resistance building. Stop turning the pencil and observe the force; this is the state of our minds. Meditation is when you let go of the pencil, and all of that tension is released. Regular meditation gradually releases your built-up stress, and clearing your mind is the result of this process. 

3) Face your demons

In some yogic traditions doing preliminary inner work was suggested before meditating. They believe that meditating before doing this work can potentially have harmful consequences. My experience was different because I used meditation to face my demons. That said, meditation isn't always "peaceful bliss."

Sometimes what prevents us from meditating are the very problems we need to face in meditation. To meditate, you have to be willing to observe your feelings without making a judgment call about them. Otherwise, the rubber band I mentioned early on will never release. Meditation is mainly about sitting with yourself, your feelings, and your surroundings

4) Exercise before meditation

Yoga and meditation go together like peas and carrots. In some yogic traditions, it's common to practice a set of yoga postures or "asanas" before meditating. Yoga activates your parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system initiates a process of rest, repair, and relaxation. Entering a meditative state is much easier when your parasympathetic nervous system is active.

5) Diet impacts meditation

What you eat impacts how your mind functions, and while it makes sense, most of us never stop to think about it. Some more apparent foods that can impact your mind are high in sugar and caffeine, but they aren't the only ones. Dairy, soy, gluten are other foods that have the potential to impact your mind negatively. Last but not least, staying hydrated also has a massive positive impact.

Meditation Aides

The previous observations are just the tip of the iceberg in making it easier to start and maintain a meditation practice. Some tools make the experience more pleasant. Here are five meditation aides that I use regularly.

1) Meditation Cushion

When I started meditating, I would sit my butt on the floor and try to stay still. The problem is my crappy posture often made my back hurt a minute or two after starting. Instead of meditating, I was constantly working on ignoring pain or readjusting my body. Then I got a meditation cushion.

I'm not sure if this is unique to me, but when I sit on a meditation cushion properly, I have better posture.

2) Zero Gravity Chair

Up until a few years ago, I thought all meditation was sitting still and silent. Then I was introduced to Yoga Nidra, a form of meditation practiced lying down. While traditionally done on the floor, I had the opportunity to try it on a zero gravity chair and was instantly hooked.

Zero gravity chairs can support your weight evenly and effectively relieve lower back pain due to stress and tension. While you may not have any lower back issues, the experience of meditating in this type of chair is worth it alone!

3) Noise-canceling headphones

The world can be a pretty noisy place, and sometimes there are too many distractions to relax. Thankfully, you can carve out your auditory escape route with a decent pair of noise-canceling headphones. While I'd advise against using these every time you meditate, they can be a great way to tune out the world when needed!

4) Binaural Beats*

Without getting into the science behind it, binaural beats are tones that guide your brain function in certain states of consciousness. I've personally found that I can easily fall into meditative states by regularly listening to Alpha or Theta waves. Think of them as training wheels.

*You need to listen to binaural beats through headphones for them to work. I use apple Airpods Pro.

5) Essential Oil Diffuser

If it's not already obvious, smells impact how we think, act, and feel. To prove my point, think of a time when you smelled something delicious, and it sparked your appetite, causing you to lose focus on the task at hand. Some scents help us relax, boost our mood, and can even help us concentrate. Lavender is one of my favorite essential oils for relaxation!

Hopefully, you've enjoyed the meditation tips and tools I've shared so far! I know they've all made a world of difference for my practice. But I'd like to share one more thing that's helped me learn to meditate, experimenting with different types of meditation. Here are 5 of my favorites types!

• Mindfulness Meditation

• Visualization

• Movement Meditation

• Guided Meditation

• Yoga Nidra

Over the years of building my mediation practice, I've combined several methods and tips previously mentioned into a sequence that makes it incredibly easy to fall into and maintain a meditative state. While using one of these methods or advice can help make it easier to meditate, collectively leveraging them has a snowball effect.  

As with any habit or skill, small amounts of daily practice builds momentum. Gradually we rewire our brains, and achieving meditative states becomes easier. Once we have a good handle on mediation, we have much more leverage for working with other modalities.

How do you start a meditation practice?

If you're new to meditation, there are a few things that can help start a new practice.

• Set a date to start

• Start small - 1 minute a day is better than none

• Have a quiet and distraction-free space

• Hold yourself accountable

• Maintain this habit for 30 days

• Build onto it as needed

Final thoughts on meditation

There's so much more to share on meditation, but you've got a lot of new tools to unpack first. Meditation isn't something you study on the sidelines; the more you learn without taking action, the more likely you will overcomplicate it. Start now, start small, stay committed. 

In the next post, I'll explain how affirmations can help repair broken self-image and lead you to a better life!