The Top 5 Mistakes Beginners Make in Meditation and How to Fix it to Get Results!

Today, we're talking about the top five mistakes beginners make in meditation, and it breaks my heart to know that even some longtime practitioners get stuck with these. Let’s discuss five tips to help you overcome these common meditation mistakes, so you can get the results you’re looking for.

Ready to dive in and take your practice to the next level? Let’s go!

Meditation Mistake #1: Trying Too Many Different Meditation Styles

The number one mistake I see beginners make is switching between too many different meditations.  If you're a beginner, I highly recommend you stick to one meditation practice for an extended period of time and I recommend starting with mindfulness meditation.

I’ve tried all kinds of meditation: kriya yoga meditation, transcendental meditation, inner child meditations, manifestation meditations, guided meditations on YouTube and the apps, sitting in silence and so on.

After trying so many different types, I’ve noticed that mindfulness meditation is the best to start with because of it’s simplicity, adaptability, personal growth factor and it creates a very strong foundation for your entire meditation journey that you can evolve with.

(If you’re new and want some guidance, I’ve linked a free 15-minute guided mindfulness meditation here to help you get started, you’ll thank me later!)

Many practices are complex and we want to keep things simple in the beginning. Mindfulness meditation allows you to sit, observe and notice what’s happening on the inside, from our thoughts to emotions. It’s an opportunity to grow personally by understanding how you're thinking and feeling, through a non-judgmental lens. Plus, it’s easy to incorporate elements like a self-love or compassion focus to meet your current needs.

Some of my clients are running around without much time for themselves and their practice offers a moment to pause and come back to themselves. By sitting and breathing, we can ground our energy and understand our ourselves better.

Lastly, mindfulness meditation builds a super strong meditation foundation that evolves with you overtime on your well-being journey! It’s still the practice I use to this day as a meditation coach and 10 year practitioner! I love it and highly recommend you start with mindfulness meditation. (I have a three month 1:1 program if you’re looking for support and want to start today.)

Meditation Mistake #2: Not Having a Clear Intention or Gratitude Practice

Another big mistake I see beginners make is meditating without a gratitude practice or any clear intention or goal. Therefore, work with a deeper goal or intention for your practice and keep it top of mind as you go into your practice. You can discover your intention for meditation by asking yourself, “Why am I practicing meditation?”

If your intention or goal is to sit down and “clear your mind”, this is not a good intention or the best approach. A ‘clear mind’ is a side effect of meditation and a better intention is, “I’m meditating to take care of my mental health and well-being.” (Notice the difference?)

For me, meditation has always been about connection; staying connected to myself, understanding myself and knowing who I am and what my true needs are so I can meet them more easily.

For a very long time, I felt disconnected, which is why I started meditating. At the time, I worked on Wall St. in the insurance industry and I was lacking motivation and fulfillment in my career. (However, that same feeling of disconnection can show up in other parts of life too, like relationships and so on.) My intention with meditation was to get career clarity and life direction, but I didn’t know meditation was going to benefit every area of my life.

Overtime, meditation helped me feel more confident, grounded, calm and clear-headed and I even had the realization that I’d love to teach meditation to others, so I became a coach and I love it!

There were so many realizations that changed things permanently for me, which is why I’m so excited to share this practice with others because I know the same results are possible for them too. Meditation gave me the ability to manage my emotions better and take care of myself. I consider it the ultimate self-care practice and a great time to remember your intention is at the beginning and closing of your practice.

You can start by repeating your intention silently. For example, I’d say, ‘I’m here to care of my well-being and understand myself. Show me the way.' Eventually the path is shown, the answers come and your intention is realized and it’s such a beautiful thing! The benefits of meditation are truly endless.

Also, sometimes a more specific intention could arise naturally in meditation, like noticing I feel tired and deciding to rest more that day. Meditation will help you see clearly in present time and give you an opportunity to respond to what you really need. It will also give you the answers you’re looking for and that’s such a wonderful gift.

Also, gratitude is a wonderful addition to any meditation practice as it amplifies positive emotions and helps you focus on the good already there. There’s so much research supporting the benefits of gratitude practices and in my one-to-one meditation classes, we always finish with intention or gratitude.

Closing the practice this way allows us to focus on what we’re grateful for, instead of focusing on problems, what we lack or don’t have. If we spend so much time thinking about the things that we don't have or that we don't want, unfortunately these are the things that we're energizing in our life and we’ll get more of. Meditation is an attention training practice and practicing gratitude is a powerful way to direct our attention to what nourishes us.

Which is why I'm telling you, you have to meditate! Try this free 15 minute guided meditation which closes with gratitude to increase positive and calm feelings. You’ll love it!

Meditation Mistake #3: Not Having a Breathing Technique in Your Meditation Practice

The next mistake I see a lot of beginners make is not starting their meditation practice with a breathing technique. They just sit down and jump into meditation without proper preparation. If you really want to get results in meditation, I highly recommend a breathing practice and even two minutes of mindful breathing will make a huge difference.

Many of us experience restlessness, a busy mind and discomfort when we first sit down to meditate. A breathing practice helps you settle your energy, calm the mind and go deeper into a relaxed state. However, before we start the breathing practice, it’s great to make sure we have first found comfort in our sitting position and that we have set our intention. Once you do that, then go into your breathing practice to further ground into your meditation.

(These first three steps are crucial to succeed in meditation and I go over them in depth in my 12 week beginner meditation program.)

The mind and breath are closely connected. Therefore, if we can regulate the breath, we can calm the mind and have better meditations. So, definitely make time for a two-minute breathing practice at the beginning. These two minutes are going to transform your meditations, and you'll be able to sit longer too.

Meditation Tip for Absolute Beginners: Your meditation practice in the beginner could even be a five minute breathing practice where you're focusing only on the breath. When the breath is smooth and steady, it relaxes your nervous system and settles your energy. Your practice could look as simple as stating your intention, breathing consciously and intentionally for five minutes and that's it. That is a perfect practice in itself for beginners and then you could advance as needed.

Again, I highly recommend starting with mindfulness meditation because it invites us to observe our thoughts, emotions, sensations and feelings without judgment. By becoming a neutral observer, we gain valuable insights into ourselves. It offers a powerful opportunity for self-discovery and that's what makes mindfulness so meaningful to me! However, I understand it may take some time to get here. Therefore, start with this simple five minute breathing practice first!

Meditation Mistake #4: Having Unrealistic Expectations

The next thing I want to talk about are expectations because a lot of us could have impractical expectations that work against us and stall results. Therefore, we must let go of unrealistic expectations and cultivate the right mindset about meditation, alongside making sure we’re practicing effectively.

If I go into meditation with the expectation that I’m going to sit down and completely clear my mind and feel full inner peace with every session, then I’m going to experience disappointment.

For example, you might think, “Oh, I meditated today and it was terrible because I didn't experience inner peace,” or, “Ah, I meditated today and my mind was so busy. It was horrible.” A clear and spacious mind is a side effect of meditation eventually, but it shouldn’t be your main goal, especially as a beginner. This is just unrealistic.

A better mindset to embody is, “I’m going to sit here, understand myself and observe my inner space. I’m going to sit here and breathe. I want to take care of my mental health.” These are great focuses! However, your meditation practice unfolds, remember that no effort ever goes to waste and adds up to something beautiful overtime.

In reality, there is no such thing as a ‘bad or terrible meditation’ because we can learn something from every practice. I want you to start thinking of your meditation practice as an opportunity to learn about your inner-self.

Now, of course we also want to make sure we’re practicing effectively and have effective meditation techniques that increase our focus and concentration. (I actually made a couple of blog guides on Mudra meditation techniques and inner points of focus that really help with that, so they’re linked for reference!).

However, I want to recommend letting go of expectations for meditation and instead just working with whatever comes up in your practice instead of fighting it. A huge part of what I’m teaching in my meditation program is built around the core concepts of non-resistance and acceptance. When we work with this, it frees up a lot of energy and brings a lot more peace. You’ll progress much quicker this way.

Meditation Mistake #5: Not Setting Up a Proper Meditation Space

The last mistake I see a lot of practitioners make, is not setting up their meditation space.  I can’t express how important it is for you to make a comfortable and soothing space for your practice.

Here are a few tips to help you set up your space:

Don't sit in your work chair but instead create a whole separate space for meditation.

Pick a space that's free from a lot of foot traffic.

If you could have your own meditation seat for your practice, meaning you're the only one sitting in that chair, I highly recommend that because you're going to build up meditative energy wherever you sit. Overtime, you’ll notice a calm and present energy as soon as you sit there and it's a sign you’re advancing.

You want to make sure it's free of clutter and that it's a clean environment. I highly recommend you create a soothing, calming space with candles, soft scents, pictures of loved ones, etc. because your environment does impact your practice. (I made whole blog post on how to set up your meditation space so you could see what I mean.)

All right, those were my top tips for common meditation mistakes. Are you making any of those mistakes? Let me know in the comments!

Want to Go Deeper in Your Practice?

Not getting the results you want from your meditation practice? I know how that feels and I was confused about meditation for a whole year until I worked with a meditation teacher. Here are a few ways I can help you:

• I offer private meditation classes, which help you learn how to effectively practice mindfulness meditation and develop your own practice so you can calm your mind and improve your well-being.

• I have a free Mindfulness Newsletter you can join for more meditation tips and mindfulness guidance!

• Get my free 15 Minute Guided Meditation and start your day feeling relaxed, present and grounded!

Rebecca Michelle | Meditation Coach

Learn how to be present, focused and feel grounded with meditation and mindfulness coaching. Experience a more peaceful you in just 12 weeks!

Check out my 1:1 programs here or apply now!