Signs of Progress in Meditation
“Don’t judge your meditations. Don’t rate them. The physical mind cannot tell how well you did. As long as you are sitting there trying, something will happen.” – Frederick Lenz, Ph.D.
Training a fit mind is the most worthwhile endeavor you could undertake. It affects every area of your life and the lives of those around you.
Here’s a common question people have:
Am I making progress in meditation?
You won’t get a 6-pack in the mirror or record-setting metric. The scale won’t go down and you (probably) won’t start glowing. So how should you go about measuring your progress in meditation?
There are a few signs of a “fit mind,” which are often subtle, requiring close observation:
More meta-awareness of what’s going on in your mind throughout the day
Less time angry at people and circumstances, and more time caring for others
The ability to focus on tasks like reading and listening to others more easily
Taking things less personally as your Mini-Me (Ego) shrinks
More of the day spent immersed in the present moment, in “being mode”
Less worrying about imagined future catastrophes
Increased ability to resist unhealthy cravings
Although the benefits of mind training are profound, they might not be initially obvious. This causes many people to become discouraged, thinking they aren't making progress in meditation when, in fact, they are.
So look for the signs above in your everyday life. For example, you might stop honking in traffic or recover more quickly from an insult. And while that seems like a small accomplishment, these add up quickly.
The Paradox of Progress in Meditation
While striving to enhance your mind, you’ll paradoxically progress more quickly if you first accept its flaws.
An effort to remain mindful and practice diligently will yield life-altering results. Any self-judgment layered on top of that only creates problems.
So try to fully embrace your mind in each moment as you observe its habitual patterns. On one level, there’s nowhere to “get to” but here and now.
That said, relentlessly applying the techniques will fundamentally change how you perceive the world over time.
If you practice consistently, the signs of progress in meditation creep up on you and, at some point, you realize that your mind has radically improved.
P.S. — If you haven’t already, check out the FitMind meditation app.