When Stillness Feels Impossible: Rethinking Meditation, Resistance, and the Medicine of Community
We live in a culture that celebrates speed, output, and notifications. So when we sit down to be still, it can feel like stopping a freight train with our hands. Restless. Bored. Flooded with thoughts. “I’m bad at this.” If that sounds familiar, welcome. You’re not doing it wrong; you’re meeting the human condition exactly where it is.
This post is an invitation to soften the myths, befriend the resistance, and remember why meditation, especially practiced in community, is profoundly life affirming.
Myth Busting: What Meditation Is (and Isn’t)
Myth 1: Meditation is about emptying your mind.
Truth: Minds think. Your job isn’t to erase thoughts; it’s to relate to them differently. In practice, notice, label gently (“thinking,” “planning”), and come back to breath or mantra.
Myth 2: If I fidget or feel anxious, I’m failing.
Truth: Agitation is often the nervous system discharging. Sensation is data, not a verdict. Small adjustments, softer breath, and permission to move can actually support the practice.
Myth 3: Real meditation takes an hour.
Truth: Consistency beats duration. Five honest minutes most days changes more than a heroic sit once a month.
Myth 4: Meditation is a solo sport.
Truth: Sitting together regulates us. Community amplifies steadiness, compassion, and accountability. We are wired to co regulate.
Why We Resist Stillness (and How to Meet It Kindly)
The Body Says “No.” Restlessness, aches, or sleepiness can surface when we finally pause.
Kind response: Adjust your seat, lie down if needed, soften the jaw, and lengthen your exhale.The Mind Gets Loud. To do lists, old stories, worries.
Kind response: Name it gently (“worrying”), feel your feet, and return to a single anchor such as breath, sound, or a word like “Om” or “Peace.”The Heart is Tender. Stillness makes space for what’s been waiting, grief, joy, fear.
Kind response: Place a hand on the heart. Say, “This belongs.” Let the breath cradle whatever is here.The Inner Critic Shows Up. “You’re not good at this.”
Kind response: Thank it for trying to help. Offer a kinder voice: “Showing up is enough.”
A Simpler Definition of Meditation
Meditation is the practice of turning toward your present moment experience with curiosity and care, and returning, again and again, when you wander. That’s it. Not performance. Not perfection. Practice.
The Life Affirming Benefits (Beyond the Buzzwords)
Nervous System Regulation. More access to the parasympathetic rest and digest state, steadier heart rate and breath patterns, clearer recovery after stress.
Emotional Resilience. You learn to feel a feeling without becoming the feeling. Space grows between stimulus and response.
Focus and Clarity. Attention becomes less leaky. You remember what matters.
Compassion and Belonging. Practicing together expands your circle of care, toward self and others and the communities you touch.
Embodied Wisdom. Instead of outsourcing your knowing, you learn to listen inward, to breath, sensation, and intuition.
Community Matters: The Sangha Effect
Meditating with others changes the texture of practice.
Co regulation: Calm is contagious. So is courage.
Structure: Set times, familiar faces, a cushion waiting. Friction drops, follow through rises.
Shared Meaning: In Bhakti inspired spaces, sound, mantra, and devotion remind us that we belong to something loving and larger.
Service: Your practice is not just for you. It ripples out to family, students, coworkers, and the city we call home.
A Gentle Practice You Can Try Today (5 to 7 Minutes)
Arrive. Sit or lie down. Let your spine be easy. Exhale slowly.
Anchor. Choose one, breath at the nostrils, the rise and fall of the belly, or a quiet mantra such as So Hum or Om Shanti.
Notice. When thoughts or sensations pull you, label softly, “thinking,” “feeling,” “hearing,” and return to your anchor. No drama.
Soften. Unclench the jaw, widen the collarbones, and lengthen the exhale by one or two counts.
Close. Hand to heart. Whisper, “May I be at ease. May we be at ease.” Sit for one more breath before moving on.
Permission slip: Adjust posture anytime. Eyes open is still meditation. Walking slowly can be meditation. Humming, Bhramari, for three breaths can be meditation.
Common Questions
What if I fall asleep?
Great. Your body trusted the pause. Try a morning sit, a steadier seat, or eyes softly open next time.
What if I cry?
Tears are release. Let them come. Anchor to breath. You are safe.
How often should I practice?
Aim for most days, even two to five minutes. Build the habit first. Length will grow.
Do I need a mantra or special technique?
No. One simple, honest anchor is plenty, breath, sound, or sensation.
Journal Prompts to Deepen Your Practice
What sensations tell me I’m uneasy, and how do I usually respond?
Where in my week could five minutes of stillness naturally fit?
What story do I carry about “doing it right”? What could be kinder and truer?
How does practicing with others change how I show up for myself and for my community?
An Invitation from Sukha Yoga Austin
At Sukha, stillness is not an escape from life. It is a way of being more alive inside it. In our classes and meditations with Erinn, you’ll find clear, intentional guidance, space to breathe, and a community that is glad you’re here exactly as you are.
New to this? Start with Yin or Guided Meditation either in person or livestream/ on demand
Short on time? Check out our the “Mindfulness Snacks” under 30 minutes On Demand classes.
Want consistency? Our memberships include in studio, livestream, and on demand options, plus the quiet power of showing up together.
Come sit with us. Unroll your mat, take a breath, and belong.
