The ‘why’ matters.
Right from the start of the mindfulness tradition, emphasis has been placed upon intention. This is because intention orients action. In other words, why you do something leads to what you do and how you do it. Without a clear sense of why you meditate or insight into your intention or motivation, your practice can lack energy and become directionless. It is therefore worthwhile to spend time reflecting on and understanding your own motivation.
The ‘why’ matters. Here are some ways to explore your intentions.
So … what is your ‘why’? Everyone’s ‘why’ is different. You may have a grand motivation such as a universal desire to generate kindness and awareness in the world around you. Or you may have a motivation that feels much smaller such as wanting to get to better sleep for a change. It doesn’t matter how big or small your motivation feels, what matters is that it feels alive. Meditation practice can sometimes be hard work and there are an infinity of excuses not to fit it in. But if we really feel our motivation and it matters to us, then we will give it the energy and attention it requires. And when you put in the effort, you will get the results.
Remember to take some time to reflect on your motivation. There are two ways to do this. The first is when starting a specific meditation session. Take just a few moments before pressing play to think about what you are aiming for and to state your intention. Doing so will give you a bit of a boost and help you get the most out of your practice. The other way can be done at anytime, even right now. Take some time to think about why you are interested in meditation in general. Having a strong sense of your motivation can be a catalyst in helping you to make or maintain a meditation a habit.
Motivation will change over time. People often start meditating because they are looking for support with a particular problem such as wanting to sleep better or to deal with difficult thoughts and emotions. As people practice more and those initial issues become less acute, their motivation might evolve and change into something else. This is all part of our practice maturing. As you become more experienced, it is important to continually check back in with your ‘why’ to ensure you keep progressing in ways that align with your desired path.
So what is our ‘why’ at buddhify? The ultimate purpose of meditation from buddhify’s perspective boils down to one word: love. Through meditation practice, we start to understand ourselves better. We become kinder towards ourselves by seeing our patterns, improving those which we can, and learning to accept those which we can’t. As we develop our practice, we see the humanity we all share, and we become more aware of and kinder towards others. Ultimately, meditation is perhaps best described as being all about developing insight, wisdom, and kindness so we can better love ourselves and those around us. So in a word, it’s about love.
