Why Meditation Never Worked for Me (Until I Made This One Shift)

For years, I believed meditation wasn’t for me.

I’d sit down, close my eyes, and within seconds my mind was racing with to-do lists, worries, and the constant urge to get up and do something useful. Instead of peace, I felt restless. Instead of clarity, I felt frustrated.

Sound familiar?

If you’ve ever thought, “I just can’t meditate” — you’re not alone.

The Myth About Meditation

So many of us have been told that meditation means sitting cross-legged in silence, eyes closed, mind empty.

But here’s the truth: meditation isn’t about “emptying your mind.”

Your thoughts don’t magically disappear. The practice is about creating tiny, intentional moments of calm — signals to your body that it’s safe to step out of fight-or-flight and into stillness.

The Shift That Changed Everything

Once I gave myself permission to make meditation fun, practical, and short, everything shifted.

• I slept better.
  

• My energy came back.
  

• I stopped feeling like life was running me.
  

It wasn’t about adding another task to my already full day. It was about weaving stillness into the life I was already living.

Practical Tips to Start Meditating (and Stick With It)

Here are some simple tools that will help you ease into meditation in a way that works for real life:

1. Start Small and Build Up

Instead of trying to sit for 20 minutes right away, commit to just 5 minutes a day for a week. The following week, increase to 10 minutes, and so on. This gradual approach gives your mind time to adjust to slowing down and helps meditation become a natural part of your day.

2. Explore Different Styles

Not all meditation feels the same. You might enjoy guided visualisations, mantra repetition, body scans, or breath-focused practices. Use free apps like Insight Timer to try different techniques until you discover the one that feels good for you.

3. Tailor Meditation to Your Body Type

In Ayurveda, different doshas (body types) respond best to different styles of stillness:

• Vata types often need grounding practices like body scans or focusing on the breath.
  

• Pitta types benefit from cooling visualisations or heart-centered meditations.
  

• Kapha types may enjoy more energising meditations, like chanting or breathwork with movement.
  

When you align meditation with your nature, it feels less like a struggle and more like a reset.

4. Anchor It to Daily Life

Meditation doesn’t have to be separate from your routine. Try pausing for 5 deep breaths before meals, while waiting in the car, or even in the shower. These “micro-moments” count too.

5. Create a Ritual You Look Forward To

Light a candle, use essential oils, or sit somewhere cozy with a blanket. Creating a small ritual signals to your mind and body: this is my time to reset.

Why It Matters More Than Ever

Our bodies are constantly absorbing stress. Deadlines, family responsibilities, endless notifications, even the background noise of the world — it all keeps our nervous systems on high alert.

When your body is stuck in stress mode, it doesn’t heal, rest, or restore properly. That’s why you might feel tired even after a full night’s sleep, or find yourself irritable, foggy, or burnt out.

Meditation is the reset button your body is craving.

Start Small, Start Now

You don’t need an hour, incense, or a meditation cushion. You just need one decision: to pause.

Try this:

• Close your eyes and place one hand on your heart.
  

• Take 5 slow breaths, in and out.
  

• Notice how your body feels as you exhale.
  

That’s it. That’s meditation.

Want to Go Deeper?

That’s why I created my free guide, 7 Signs You Need Meditation (Even If You Think You Don’t). It will help you recognise the ways your body is quietly calling for calm — and give you simple, real-life tools to answer that call.

[Download the free guide here]

Here’s to finding stillness in real life,
Serena