Meditating Alone

Dear Ruth,

Whenever I try to meditate alone, my mind gets busy thinking about what I have to do. When I’m with a group, I have no trouble meditating. My mind stops worrying about my family and friends. Meditating in groups calms me down. How can I stop my mind for wandering when I try to meditate on my own?

The Wanderer


Dear Wanderer,

Fear is the number one obstacle of meditating alone. Are you fearful of encountering something you can’t handle, or that you might get a message too powerful for you to handle?

Walk around your home and notice where you feel calm, better, happier. Sit on the floor, on a chair, or lie in bed and do breathing exercises.

Instead of trying not to feel, think about a nature spot that fills you with radiance; trees, water, sky, etc. Become the nature spot by asking questions: what does it feel like to be a tree? Soon the tree will fade from your mind and you’ll be meditating.

Recommended reading: Meditations from Conversations with God, Book 2 by Neale Donald Walsch.