Most people picture meditation like this: a calm person sitting cross-legged on a mountaintop, eyes closed, free of all worries, floating somewhere between awareness and enlightenment. The image has caused more harm to the reputation of meditation than any other thing. It causes common citizens to believe that they are doing it wrong even before they start doing it, which is unfortunate, as the actual practice is far less perfect, more approachable, and more engaging than the postcard image. 
The biggest myth that drives beginners away is the belief that your mind should go blank. Individuals are seated, an idea of their electric bill comes in mind and they automatically decide that they have failed. They didn’t fail. That is not how the practice functions. Thoughts are like breathing—they keep happening whether you want them or not. Meditation is not about stopping thoughts, but changing your relationship with them. You observe the thought, don’t follow it, and bring your attention back to your focus point. Having thoughts is not failing. Spending your session replaying old arguments? That’s just part of the process. A second misconception is that meditation must take a lot of time. Many people believe that not having an hour disqualifies them. It does not disqualify you. Deliberate attention on the present moment takes five minutes in reality. Ten minutes daily beats one long session done occasionally. Results do not work the way people assume, that the frequency is proportional to the duration almost one hundred per cent of the time, particularly, at first, when you are still developing the mental muscle. Many assume meditation must happen in total quiet. You must sit in a distraction-free room. However, there are many traditions, which make the use of chanting, music or rhythmic sound the main topic of practice. There are individuals who meditate best when there is no background noise, and others focus better with soft background noise. Quiet is not mandatory. Do what works for your mind, not what blogs say is correct. Another misconception involves how you sit. You must sit cross-legged upon the floor or not. This has ensured that more individuals are not meditating in cushions than it would be the case with any other logistical obstacle. You can sit in a chair. Lying down works, but you might fall asleep. Standing is an option. Walking meditation is a legitimate and ancient practice. Body posture is only important in that you do not want to be learn details stressed but comfortable enough to concentrate on your task, yet not so relaxed that you are likely to fall asleep. That’s all. Your living room is good enough. A subtler myth often held by experienced practitioners, is that every session must feel calm. At times it feels that way. Sometimes hidden stress surfaces. Sometimes grief surfaces. Sometimes it feels empty and confusing. That is normal. Meditation does not produce nice emotions, it opens the space to see whatever is really going on in you whether nice or not. Expecting constant relaxation leads to disappointment. Many believe meditation is only for spiritual or religious people. Historically, meditation has roots in religion. Its basic principles are not tied to belief systems. No philosophy is required to practice it. This is like telling one that a person cannot have the physical benefit of the yoga practice on the grounds that they are not Hindu. There is a difference between the practice and the tradition of it. Lastly, many individuals assume that meditation is something you become good at, where focus becomes effortless and quiet. Long-time meditators know this is not true. It is always a practice. You improve at noticing distraction, you gain awareness of your patterns, you are not as easily distracted by the noise. However, the sound does not end. And when you have peace with that, the actual peace with it, then the entire matter becomes much easier.
The biggest myth that drives beginners away is the belief that your mind should go blank. Individuals are seated, an idea of their electric bill comes in mind and they automatically decide that they have failed. They didn’t fail. That is not how the practice functions. Thoughts are like breathing—they keep happening whether you want them or not. Meditation is not about stopping thoughts, but changing your relationship with them. You observe the thought, don’t follow it, and bring your attention back to your focus point. Having thoughts is not failing. Spending your session replaying old arguments? That’s just part of the process. A second misconception is that meditation must take a lot of time. Many people believe that not having an hour disqualifies them. It does not disqualify you. Deliberate attention on the present moment takes five minutes in reality. Ten minutes daily beats one long session done occasionally. Results do not work the way people assume, that the frequency is proportional to the duration almost one hundred per cent of the time, particularly, at first, when you are still developing the mental muscle. Many assume meditation must happen in total quiet. You must sit in a distraction-free room. However, there are many traditions, which make the use of chanting, music or rhythmic sound the main topic of practice. There are individuals who meditate best when there is no background noise, and others focus better with soft background noise. Quiet is not mandatory. Do what works for your mind, not what blogs say is correct. Another misconception involves how you sit. You must sit cross-legged upon the floor or not. This has ensured that more individuals are not meditating in cushions than it would be the case with any other logistical obstacle. You can sit in a chair. Lying down works, but you might fall asleep. Standing is an option. Walking meditation is a legitimate and ancient practice. Body posture is only important in that you do not want to be learn details stressed but comfortable enough to concentrate on your task, yet not so relaxed that you are likely to fall asleep. That’s all. Your living room is good enough. A subtler myth often held by experienced practitioners, is that every session must feel calm. At times it feels that way. Sometimes hidden stress surfaces. Sometimes grief surfaces. Sometimes it feels empty and confusing. That is normal. Meditation does not produce nice emotions, it opens the space to see whatever is really going on in you whether nice or not. Expecting constant relaxation leads to disappointment. Many believe meditation is only for spiritual or religious people. Historically, meditation has roots in religion. Its basic principles are not tied to belief systems. No philosophy is required to practice it. This is like telling one that a person cannot have the physical benefit of the yoga practice on the grounds that they are not Hindu. There is a difference between the practice and the tradition of it. Lastly, many individuals assume that meditation is something you become good at, where focus becomes effortless and quiet. Long-time meditators know this is not true. It is always a practice. You improve at noticing distraction, you gain awareness of your patterns, you are not as easily distracted by the noise. However, the sound does not end. And when you have peace with that, the actual peace with it, then the entire matter becomes much easier.