Q & As with Kessonga

(button clicks) (bright music) Headspace Studios. (gentle music) Hey, there. This is Kessonga. And I welcome you this Wednesday to Radio Headspace. So one of the things that I absolutely love about teaching mindfulness and meditation is answering the plethora of questions that students have about the practice. I figured for this episode, I'd answer some of the more common questions I usually get about mindfulness and meditation. So one of the most common questions that I get is, will my mind ever stop thinking during my meditation practice? The short answer is no (laughs). But really, think about it, no pun intended. The natural way of the mind is to think, and what's wild is that we often can't control what we think. It goes back to that old cliche saying. If I tell you not to think of a banana, what is going to pop into your head? A banana. So it's really not about stopping the thoughts from coming during meditation. It's simply about gently noticing the thoughts as they come and go, and not trying to force them away. I've been meditating for over a decade now, and I'm here to tell you that thoughts still come and go when I meditate. Now, for sure, they're not as frenzied and racing as they were when I first started, but they are present, and, once again, that's perfectly okay. You'll notice that as your practice becomes more consistent, the thoughts will start to calm down some. You'll notice your ability to let them go will become easier. So, yeah, just continue to stick with the practice and see what happens. Another common question I get pertains to the logistics of meditating. Do I have to sit cross-legged to meditate? What if I find it uncomfortable? So, no, you most definitely do not have to sit cross-legged to meditate. In fact, I've taught classes where everyone, myself included, was sitting in chairs, and it was perfectly fine. There were even moments where one or more participants were actually standing because that's what was most comfortable to them. The overall instruction I always give is to adopt a comfortable, dignified posture of awareness, with an emphasis on comfortable and awareness. I wholeheartedly believe that meditation should be comfortable. So if you have to stand, sit, or a combination of both, that's fine, as long as you're also bringing the awareness piece to the practice. So even though sitting cross-legged may not be comfortable for everyone, the reason why it's so commonly used is because it promotes a present moment awareness during the meditation practice, which is most important. So even if you're sitting in a chair, I may give the instruction to perhaps scoot up a little towards the edge of the chair instead of letting your back rest on the back of the chair. Again, it's just about promoting present moment awareness during the practice. And finally, another common question I get is, what is the best time...