11 Signs Meditation is Working - Recognizing Progress
You sit in meditation every day, but begin to question why. Is meditation even working? Is it helping anything? Are there insights or wisdom arising? One thing I often encourage my students to do in mindfulness coaching is to recognize the ways in which mindfulness and meditation are helping them.
We’ll cover the reason recognizing progress is important, the signs meditation is working in your life and practice, what to watch out for, and some tips for progress. Remember that if you have any questions about meditation or your mindfulness practice, you can always reach out to me via email or WhatsApp here.
Why Recognize Progress?
For many, meditation can feel hard at first. As we settle into practice over the first few weeks, we might notice more calm or mindfulness. But then, we hit a meditation plateau. We begin to wonder if we’re meditating correctly, or if meditation just simply isn’t for us.
Recognizing how meditation and mindfulness serve us can help us in several ways. First, it gives some energy to our practice. If we do something repeatedly without result, it may become hard to do or feel like a chore. I actually think we can directly benefit from pausing and reflecting on how our practice is supporting us. By doing so, we give motivation and life to our practice.
Furthermore, recognizing the signs meditation is working is a practice in mindfulness. We recognize how our effort and energy impacts experience. This is part of Wise Effort. We’re called to put effort forth to water wholesome seeds, so we need to actually see what is wholesome and working in order to do so! Recognizing progress helps give us clarity about what’s working and what’s not.
Signs Meditation is Working
I’m going to cover a few signs meditation may be working, but I want to note a few important things to remember. First, meditation isn’t a quick fix; it takes time. I cover this more in the post How Long Does Meditation Take to Work?
And second, we shouldn’t use these signs as a measurement of how good or bad we are, how good or bad a specific sitting period is, or as a reflection of our effort or intention. They are just offered as a way to recognize and motivate ourselves. Perhaps we can even have a bit of gratitude for the practice!
You Notice the Mind Wandering
That’s not a typo. We think a still mind is necessary to meditate, but the truth is it’s normal to think during meditation. If you sit in meditation and the mind wanders off 50 times, that means you noticed with mindfulness what the mind was doing 50 times! Recognizing the wandering mind isn’t a sign our meditation isn’t working; it’s a sign we’re cultivating more mindfulness.
Reactivity Decreases
As our practice grows, we may find an ability to respond rather than react. This may arise in or out of meditation. We experience pains, noises, or thoughts in meditation that don’t cause quite as strong reactions. And in daily life, perhaps we stop reacting so much in arguments, we have a moment of pause where we have a choice in response, or we simply don’t feel the same emotional pull to react.
I think it’s also useful to note that this may look differently. We might still react quite frequently, but we notice it as a reaction. This is progress! Just knowing what you’re doing is a sign meditation is working, even if what you’re doing is unskillful.
Daily Mindfulness Comes Naturally
One thing you may notice as you continue to practice is a more natural inclination toward presence in daily life. This may come in the form of more mindful eating, moving more slowly, or just recognizing the breath during the day. When we first start practicing, it can be difficult to be present in daily life without lots of effort. As time goes on, these moments come much more naturally and with ease.
Recognizing Patterns and Habits
As we consistently observe thoughts without judgement in meditation, we begin to see patterns of thinking and habit energies quite clearly. With more data from observing, you get a more complete picture. You may begin to notice that anxiety often arises in this situation, or you find that situation especially difficult. Recognizing these patterns and habits is a sign of maturing practice.
Seeing New Aspects of Experience
As mindfulness meditation continues and deepens, we often notice new aspects of experience we weren’t previously aware of. For example, you might begin to see the Three Characteristics, especially impermanence. You see the impermanent nature of thoughts or sensations first-hand. You also might see things like how the mind creates experience, how clinging is causing suffering, or simply how much stimulus there is in any given moment.
Appreciating the Joy
This was something I personally noticed in my practice. I recognized that there was a natural pausing and appreciation of the joy. This might come from appreciative joy practice, but can also just be a product of mindfulness. As we notice experience more and more, we really pause to take in the joy in our daily lives. It may be stopping to literally smell a flower, enjoying time with our children more deeply, or rejoicing in the ease of a tranquil meditation session.
Simplicity in Practice
Many new students I work with have a rather complex practice. They may have external support and ritual like incense, music, or candles. And their actualy practice itself may be full of specific instructions and step-by-step stages. These things can absolutely be useful at any point during practice, so I don’t want to discourage you from using what feels useful to you.
What I do find is that as practice progresses, it often becomes simpler. Maybe we move from guided to silent meditations, sit without a dedicated altar, and are able to simply sit in open awareness. This comes from a letting go of attachment that happens slowly and gradually with practice.
Thoughts in Meditation are Present-Focused
Thoughts naturally arise during meditation. This is not avoidable in mindfulness meditation. However, one sign meditation is working lies in the type of thinking. Beginner meditators often experience a mind focused on the past and future. As practice deepens, thoughts become more present-focused. And even further, thoughts may become specifically related to practice itself!
You Have a Regular Practice
A regular practice is one of the best things we can do to cultivate mindfulness. When meditation is working, a daily practice becomes much easier. We don’t drag to the cushion or see it as a chore. Instead, daily meditation practice becomes natural and easy. We might even look forward to our period of practice.
The Mind Settles Differently
As I often share, the first few minutes of a meditation period can be the most difficult for many. The mind takes a bit of time to settle. We may be trying a concentration meditation, but the mind just bounces around. Over time, we notice the mind settling differently. Perhaps it still takes the same amount of time to settle, but we respond with patience and acceptance. And eventually the mind does indeed settle more easily and with less suffering.
You Can See Emotions
Simply seeing emotions and recognizing them is a sign meditation is working. Whether it’s in meditation or in daily life, being able to note what emotion is present is huge progress for many of us. It’s an example of clear seeing. Perhaps we even have clear comprehension and can understand where the emotion came from, it’s impersonal nature, and the impermanent aspect.
Meditation Plateaus
A common experience many meditators have is that of the meditation plateau. I talk about this more in an episode of the podcast that can be found here. There’s also a video of the episode below you can listen to.
The idea is that many of us reach a bit of stagnation at times in our practice. It can happen at various stages, but is a normal experience. In these times, we often search for what we’re doing wrong, try to measure our practice, or deal with doubt. I encourage you to listen to the episode to learn about how they work and what to do when you’ve reached a plateau.
Expectations and Measuring
We must be careful to not constantly measure or monitor our practice. If we are constantly doing so, we fall into the tendency to judge our practice. Yes, it is useful to do some skillful reflection of what’s working and what isn’t. But this constant measuring is often a form of craving and clinging.
We also should watch for expectations. We think we know what meditation should feel like, and have some subtle expectations we’ll feel calm and tranquil. Meet whatever experience you’re having with openness and curiosity. Watch for expectations arising in the mind!
Three Practical Tips for Meditation
I want to offer just a few tips to help support your practice and growth. Additionally, please consider joining us for our Thursday Morning Meditation to practice with a group!
Observe Whatever Arises
When we meditate, we should just observe what is present. Watch for expectations in your practice or resistance. Meet experience with some equanimity. We often intervene, try to fix thought patterns, or have tension in the mind when we practice. Instead, truly practice just sitting, receiving experience, and observing. Remember your task is to watch with awareness.
Practice Consistently
This is a tip I share repeatedly. Starting a daily meditation practice can seem difficult, but consistency is key. With regular practice, we keep mindfulness fresh and the mind focused on awareness. If you’re struggling to sit regularly, I recommend checking out my Month of Mindfulness free program. It has 30 days of meditations that are only 3-6 minutes. It helps people investigate different meditation practices and build the daily habit in a pragmatic and accessible way.
Watch for Craving and Attachment
Finally, begin tuning into craving and attachment in the mind. Where do you get stuck on specific thoughts, experiences, or mental states? When you’re meditating and calm but a loud noise takes you out of it, can you see the attachment present? Much of our experience is imbued with a flavor of craving and attachment. Make a bit of extra effort to really see these defilements in the mind and how they impact experience.
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Matthew Sockolov is a Buddhist meditation teacher who trained at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. Completing the Dharma Leader training program in 2017, Matthew was given power to teach in the Insight Meditation tradition by Jack Kornfield, Kittisaro, Thanissara, and others. You can learn more about Matthew here.