Doubts about meditation are normal. But they are not desirable. A passage in the Buddhe scripture, Samyutta Nakaya, says,

“If there is a pot of water which is turbid, stirred up, and muddy, and this pot is put into a

dark place, then a person with normal eyesight would not recognize and see his or her

own image reflected in the water. In the same way, when one’s mind is possessed by

doubt, overpowered by doubt, then one cannot properly see the escape from doubt which

has arisen; then one does not properly understand one’s welfare, or that of

another, or that of both.”

This depicts the significance of reducing doubt while meditating. Because unless you do that, you won’t be able to bear the real fruits of this life-changing practice. But how to overcome doubt during meditation? I’ll touch on that in a bit but before that…

What causes doubt during meditation

Doubt is common when learning any new skill or technique, whether skating, cycling, or public speaking. You will doubt whether you’ll be consistent with the practice, whether you’re doing it right or not, and whether it will give you results. All this lack of confidence is rooted in 3 reasons:

1.       Misinterpretation of physical sensations: During meditation (especially for beginners), it’s normal to experience physical sensations like itching or twitching. But without proper guidance, these can be misinterpreted as signs of doing something wrong.

2.       Comparison: Many meditators fell prey to the comparison game. They might hear stories of people who changed the course of their lives due to meditation by achieving mental calmness. This can make them feel inadequate when their experiences don’t match up.

3.       Expecting immediate results: Many people expect to swim in the sea of tranquility within days of starting meditation. These unreal expectations allow the monster of doubt to creep in, and they start questioning the effectiveness of the practice pretty soon.

Overcoming doubt during meditation

Now, let me shine some light on how you can prevent this glooming monster from disrupting your meditation journey.

1.      Encourage faith in the practice

Beth Upton, a renowned meditation teacher, explains this beautifully. She describes 2 ways of establishing faith in the meditation practice.

One is to remember the qualities of the meditation figure you admire, e.g., Buddha, Dharma, or any other figure. Read their teachings to gain confidence in their methods' effectiveness and transformative power.

Another way is to associate yourself with relevant people who are practicing meditation and experiencing its benefits. When you spend a lot of time with these people, doubt is difficult to stroll into your mind.

2.      Investigate the doubts

Beth explains that investigation is a great medicine for doubt. She explicitly says, “The more we investigate it, the more we see it’s true.”

But the problem is that we forget to investigate because we’re too busy with our thoughts and doubts. It’s the same as arriving at a junction, and instead of walking down path A or B to investigate, we tend to stay at the junction, coming up with all the reasons why either of the paths may be wrong. So what can you do?

One is to ask questions of the experts or people who’ve benefited from the practice. Another is to leverage online forums, hop onto calls, and discuss your doubts with them.

Two, invite the spirit of the experiment. Test the technique you’re having doubts about anyway, and give it a time boundary. After that time boundary, evaluate what worked and what didn’t, the pros and shortcomings, and what shortcomings you experienced. Trust me, this approach will significantly increase your faith in meditation.

3.      Focusing on the benefits

The third method of overcoming doubt during meditation is to focus on the practice's benefits rather than its shortcomings.

What are some shortcomings? Initial frustration and restlessness, especially at the start of the session, time commitment, misguided expectations, and over-introspection.

If you allow your mind to think about all these, sooner or later, you’ll quit the practice.

Now, what are some benefits? Reduction in stress, enhancement in emotional health, improved focus. Betterment in the sleep quality and boosted creativity.

If you commit to thinking about these, you’ll find ways to be consistent with meditation. Your mind responds to what you prioritize—positive or negative. Always think about the bright side of a habit or practice, and it will show you all the right paths leading to it.

Positive affirmations, such as “every session brings me closer to peace,” will keep you grounded and motivated to continue the practice until you start seeing results.

4.      Remember your why

This is quite powerful. Remember why you started meditating in the first place.

·       Was it to improve focus?

·       Was it to gain mental clarity?

·       Was it to improve resilience?

And then see whether you’ve achieved it or not. If not, you should keep going. Many times, people quit a habit right before the dawn of success. Every new skill or habit takes time; it’s not social media where you apply a filter and instantly eliminate all your dark circles and pimples. Embrace the reality of life as it unfolds.

5.      Be consistent

It might sound cliché, but that’s how things are. Set a specific time each day for your meditation practice. Start with 10 minutes only and gradually increase it as you become comfortable. Consistency builds familiarity and trust in the practice, 

reducing doubt over time.

Did you think Olympic swimmers started by swimming 100 meters in under a minute on their first try? Not even by their 100th try. It took them months and years of consistent practice to achieve that.

Bottom line

Doubt while meditating is acceptable. But making it a reason to quit isn’t. This is not what winners do; you, my friend, are winners. Are you ready to embark on this sacred journey of mindfulness? Check out my blog post: Finding Your Inner Zen: A Beginner’s Guide To Meditation, where I provide guidance and transformative practice to start your meditation practice.