What’s the point?
My friend had just explained to me that he wanted to meditate more, but every time he does, this is the question he ends up facing.
I, the meditation evangelist, paused. In part due to being stuffed with nachos and two tequilas deep. In part because it’s actually a brilliant question.
What is the point?
I laughed, pointed, and said, “THAT!”
He gave me a confused look.
“The point is to notice what comes up. To notice that nothing has objectively happened. That nothing has changed because you sat in quiet for 10 minutes thinking WTF is the point. That, my friend, may just be the point.”
The Point of Meditation
Dr. Google will tell you that the point of meditation is the end game: Less Stress! Less Anxiety! More Joy!
BRILLIANT outcomes. And I can attest: I’ve experienced these ends as the result of meditation.
But a single session of meditating ain’t gonna get you there.
Meditation is the means to an end. And the means, in this case, are about showing up. About doing the practice. About sitting with the question “what’s the point?” and not finding one. To notice how uncomfortable it can be to take an action (sitting) and not have it lead anywhere (still just sitting).
Then coming back to it and doing it again. And again. And again.
Here’s my experience.
It’s through the repetition of the behavior that we deepen our awareness of what’s actually happening in the present moment. It’s through the repetition of the behavior that we begin to notice that our experiences are never quite the same. Every time we sit, the thoughts come. Then, the thoughts go.
Every time we repeat the behavior of meditation, we have the opportunity to notice our impulses. To run, to disassociate, to distract, to be anywhere but Right Here, Right Now.
Every time we repeat the behavior of meditation, we have the opportunity to notice our feelings. To notice how uncomfortable feelings can be. To notice our tendency to ignore them and to shut them down. To notice that some feelings are far preferable to other feelings.
Every time we repeat the behavior of meditation, we have the opportunity to notice our bodies. The sensations we feel. How our jaws tighten when we think certain thoughts. How our hearts open when we think other thoughts. How sitting still can bring about a terrible feeling of the creepy crawlies making you want to stretch and squirm and run and scream. (Maybe that’s just me!)
With meditation, it’s all about the fact that we show up. And over time, we notice more. The patterns. The programs. The beliefs.
How we speak about ourselves. How we label ourselves. How we limit ourselves.
Over time, we notice it gets easier to be aware, without judging it or needing it to be different. Over time, we notice it becomes easier to be and stay aware.
When we bring the qualities of care, of curiosity, or nonjudgment to our practices, our awareness helps us to notice that we might make different choices. That we can stop letting those habits and patterns run the show.
So, if you’re just starting a meditation practice, and you’re questioning The Point -- congrats.
You’re doing it right. It’s something even the seasoned meditator asks themselves. And if you keep showing up, you might find a point that’s unique to YOU.
