Uploaded December 2019 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
Many people when starting out have many expectations around meditation that don't match what it is really like. This guide is meditation advice for beginners that highlights things that might stop you from practising meditation. With this advice, you will be able to avoid some of the common pitfalls that many people run into when starting out.
This is the meditation advice to beginners that I really helped me.
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The advice in this video is based on my 6 years of meditation experience.
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First Expectation: Mediation is fun and relaxing when most of the time it is not. However, it is very rewarding and I often can feel relaxed after it is over.
Second Expectation: Meditation is about stopping thinking or reducing your thinking. It is basically hopeless to want or expect your mind to stop thinking. In reality, what you can do is let your thoughts flow by without attaching to them. Over the years, I have been able to let go of some of the thinking attachment I used to have and when I meditate, I am sure there are thoughts going on, however, I am not paying attention to them. It is like having the TV on in the background and no-one is really paying attention to it. Someone could ask “was the tv on” and I would say yes, but then I wouldn't really be able to provide much information about what was actually on TV.
Third expectation: You need to commit huge amounts of time to get benefits from meditation, this isn't true. In reality, to see significant changes, you will need to consistently commit time to meditation and ideally do retreats - but this certainly isn't a requirement. Consistency here is much more important than time, 5 minutes a day is better than 20 mins once a week.
Fourth Expectation: It is going to go like you have imagined. Many people have preconceived notions of what their meditation experience or journey is going to be like. This can range from a fantasy of being all enlightened to how this 10-minute meditation sitting is going to go. And the reality is that your expectations are very unlikely to match reality.
Fifth Expectation: To do meditation properly I need to sit in a certain pose and this is not a thing at all. There are a few things that should be noted in the seating posture which is that: Your spine should be upright. Avoid slouching or leaning. It helps if your knees are slightly lower than your hips if this is possible and you are aiming to be comfortable enough that you can sit perfectly still, but not so comfortable you get drowsy.
Sixth Expectation: Meditation experience over time is consistent, in fact, it is often unpredictable. Every meditation session is different, as time moves on things changes and this means that each meditation session may be totally different to the previous one and this is okay. I could have a session that is focussed, calm and easy to do and then the next one would be full of sadness, frustration or tiredness.
Many people when starting out have many expectations around meditation that don't match what it is really like. This guide is meditation advice for beginners that highlights things that might stop you from practising meditation. With this advice, you will be able to avoid some of the common pitfalls that many people run into when starting out.
This is the meditation advice to beginners that I really helped me.
📧 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - email.matthewbarram.com
📩 Sign up for new video notifications - notifications.matthewbarram.com
The advice in this video is based on my 6 years of meditation experience.
📸 Instagram - instagram.com/matthewbarram
🐦 Twitter - twitter.com/matthewbarram
📕 Facebook - facebook.com/matthewbarram
First Expectation: Mediation is fun and relaxing when most of the time it is not. However, it is very rewarding and I often can feel relaxed after it is over.
Second Expectation: Meditation is about stopping thinking or reducing your thinking. It is basically hopeless to want or expect your mind to stop thinking. In reality, what you can do is let your thoughts flow by without attaching to them. Over the years, I have been able to let go of some of the thinking attachment I used to have and when I meditate, I am sure there are thoughts going on, however, I am not paying attention to them. It is like having the TV on in the background and no-one is really paying attention to it. Someone could ask “was the tv on” and I would say yes, but then I wouldn't really be able to provide much information about what was actually on TV.
Third expectation: You need to commit huge amounts of time to get benefits from meditation, this isn't true. In reality, to see significant changes, you will need to consistently commit time to meditation and ideally do retreats - but this certainly isn't a requirement. Consistency here is much more important than time, 5 minutes a day is better than 20 mins once a week.
Fourth Expectation: It is going to go like you have imagined. Many people have preconceived notions of what their meditation experience or journey is going to be like. This can range from a fantasy of being all enlightened to how this 10-minute meditation sitting is going to go. And the reality is that your expectations are very unlikely to match reality.
Fifth Expectation: To do meditation properly I need to sit in a certain pose and this is not a thing at all. There are a few things that should be noted in the seating posture which is that: Your spine should be upright. Avoid slouching or leaning. It helps if your knees are slightly lower than your hips if this is possible and you are aiming to be comfortable enough that you can sit perfectly still, but not so comfortable you get drowsy.
Sixth Expectation: Meditation experience over time is consistent, in fact, it is often unpredictable. Every meditation session is different, as time moves on things changes and this means that each meditation session may be totally different to the previous one and this is okay. I could have a session that is focussed, calm and easy to do and then the next one would be full of sadness, frustration or tiredness.
