🧘♀️ Meditation: Myths, Methods & Meanings
✨ The Misconceptions
Many people believe meditation means stopping thoughts. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Meditation isn’t about clearing your mind or achieving a blank state—it’s about changing your relationship with thoughts, emotions, and the present moment. Thoughts will come and go. The practice is learning to observe, not control.
📱 Apps Aren’t the Whole Story
Some try meditation through apps—but quickly lose interest. Others are told to "just meditate" without knowing what kind to explore. Without guidance or understanding, it’s no surprise people feel frustrated or disconnected from the practice.
⚠️ One Size Doesn’t Fit All
There are many types of meditation—and not all are right for everyone. In fact, some practices can feel overwhelming or even harmful, especially for those navigating trauma or mental health challenges.
For example, someone dealing with PTSD may struggle with open awareness or stillness-based practices. The key here is working with an experienced instructor who can recommend techniques that meet you where you are.
💡 What Meditation Is
Meditation is not about avoidance—it's about presence.
“Now” might not always feel good. It could be full of stress, tension, avoidance or noise. But being with what is—without judgment—is the heart of the practice.
🌿 Ways to “Be With Now”
Meditation can take many forms. Here are just a few that Paige teaches:
Breath Awareness – Focusing gently on the inhale and exhale
Mantra – Repeating a sound, word, or phrase
Mudra – Using hand gestures to focus and channel energy
Mindfulness – Being aware of thoughts, sensations, and surroundings
Sound Bath – Listening to vibrations to ease into stillness
Yoga Nidra – A guided meditative rest that promotes deep healing
Metta - A loving kindness mantra and focus on intension with kindness
🔄 It's Normal for Your Practice to Evolve and Change
Maybe you began meditating to manage stress—and found that it led to greater self-awareness, patience, or even emotional healing. That’s the beauty of it.
Meditation can grow with you. You may explore different paths and notice its ripple effects in daily life.
🙏 Final Thoughts
Meditation is a personal journey. It’s not about doing it “right”—it’s about discovering what works for you. With the right support, it can become a powerful tool for connection, healing, and presence.
Whether you're just beginning or deepening your practice, the key is curiosity, compassion, and patience.
Meditations Paige is Certified in:
*Yoga Nidra: The word Yoga Nidra means Connective Rest. This is a guided meditation that will work various brain waves and allow you to rest the mind and body just as if you were receiving REM Sleep. She is trained to understand safe steps to help guide people carefully into this deep rest carefully and make sure that they are safely guided out of their deep state of rest. Often told that her voice has a way of relaxing people. Paige has spent years understanding ways to guide students safely with her comforting tone, pitch and speed.
*Mindfulness Meditation: An interesting word because it is not so much about the mind as it is to improve our awareness. There are many tools and ways to be mindful. This practice can lift energy and improve focus so you become able to focus more. No matter where you decide to focus often mindfulness starts with noticing your senses; Touch, Sound, Sight, Smell and Taste. You learn how to be aware of now and when you drift you refresh or start over.
*Sound Bowl/Bath Mediation: Paiges has a variety Crystal and Metal bowls, chimes, 26” inch Professional Gong. The sounds have different pitch and tones. She has long studied music and combined with her trainings for mediation she has spent years in adapting an understanding of the use of pitch, tone and vibration so she can safely guide those during practice. There is no wrong way to practice style – you lay back and listen. Many report a feeling of floating or lightness. The sounds often correlate to the chakras – starting with the musical scale C, D, E,F, G, A, B – can include natural, sharp and flat tones. Pitches may be low to high.
*Metta Mediation: This is a word that means Loving Kindness. There is a mantra used – ie words used that you repeat. The words or mantras can be different are often for the same purpose. The practice is to offer the mantra to ourselves, teachers, those we love, those we like, those we don’t know and those we may have had a falling out with. Lastly to the entire world. This practice is helpful to notice any of the areas that are blocking, avoiding or pushing away. Just to notice, witness and observe. By seeing a shuttle shift we may change habits or let go of resistance.
*Mudra and/or Mantra: The use of touch sense and/or words. Mudra’s is feeling; most often the use of fingers touching. To bring attention to the felt place within us. There are beliefs that certain energies are effected by the specific Mudra. Even if this is not your belief, there is a lot that bringing your attention too may help with focus and concentration. Mantra’s are a word or words that you repeat. The repeating of the practice again and again helps us to concentrate but the meditation practice really occurs when we pause and notice where we may have drifted and refresh the practice and return to concentration. These practices can be combined together.
*Listening/Co-Listening: Learn how to improve our ability to listen to each other. This is a helpful technique that Paige often uses in groups and offices. It vocalizes the Mindful Mediation practice by having one party spend time with the phrase “I feel” or “I am aware of” and repeat it over and over for a specified time. The other party is the listener. The point as the speaker is to learn to express awareness without having to explain, justify or blame. This is being done while one or others are listening. The listening party is working on listening only. Not responding with verbal or non-verbal communication. After a time parties switch roles. This practice allows us to really understand how we block ourselves from truly holding space for each other. Through this practice communication and clear response is improved.
