At one of my meditation classes
“How do I get my partner interested in meditation?” This is a question I hear quite frequently so I want to share this meaningful conversation with you.
Being a meditation teacher as a ‘side job’ amidst a busy western lifestyle, one of my favourite joys is to talk to meditators about how meditation and mindfulness has enriched their lives beyond their expectations. So much so, that they are now trying to get their partners, friends and family to take up this life practice too.
Probably more often than not, they have been met with skepticism, indifference, or simply “That’s all fine for you to meditate, but I’m not interested.” The meditator gets frustrated then comes to speak to me for advice.
As no two situations are ever the same, here are some questions I engage the meditator in:
- What does your partner understand about meditation? (This opens up the opportunity to debunk the myths such as it’s about blanking out the mind and having no thoughts, that meditation is only an eastern religion-thing, that it’s some hippy-woo-woo-thing to do, etc…)
- Is your partner analytically-minded? Does he/she need to see research before he/she will pay attention to something? (There are numerous articles and studies being published these days about the proven benefits of meditation and mindfulness. Look here at a super short, great example from Scientific American magazine, a highly credible resource. Lots of information is available about neuroplasticity of the brain and how meditation can change and calm the brain. This stuff can really resonate with the analytically-minded and can be the door that attracts them to meditation.)
- Did you try the ‘please try it for me?’ approach? (Convey how much it has helped you, and how you want to offer the same eye-opening experience to them because you care about them.)
I hope these ideas may help stimulate some ways to get your loved ones joining you in a meditation practice. Please know that everyone is on their own journey, however, so after all the attempts, if it doesn’t ‘work’ then let them know that perhaps meditation will be something they will want to do in the future.
Also, learning in a group environment and being guided when learning meditation is undoubtedly the best way to gain confidence in meditation. It can easily be intimidating and foreign to the beginner, so perhaps finding a safe, comfortable guided meditation group is a good way to introduce newbies to meditation.
I hope this is helpful, and I welcome any further ideas you may have to share!
~Wendy
Related posts about the spiritual journey:
The Calm Monkey 