How to make meditation more accessible

If a wandering mind is an unhappy mind, then a focused mind must be worth struggling for. Perhaps this is the reason meditation has exploded in popularity through the western world. As an industry, it generated over $1 billion in 2017.

Although it has been practised for thousands of years around the world, scientific research has opened the eyes of many sceptics - showing improvements in the way we sleep, retain memory, manage stress, and strengthen our immune systems. With mental health on the agenda, schools, workplaces, and prisons are rolling out meditation programmes to improve general well being and give individuals the tools to look after their mental health.

With benefits such as these, honesty and flexibility are crucial to making meditation accessible for as many people as possible.

Honesty

Despite gold standard studies producing excellent scientific research, there’s still plenty of misinformation. Media sources often overexaggerate scientific studies or take them out of context to generate hype. They can create headlines about scientific findings from a study that used less than 50 people. This is not uncommon and has lead to many benefits being overstated.

Media exaggeration does nothing to improve long-term accessibility of meditation. With such broad claims, people are often disappointed after practising for a short period.

These studies do not dismiss meditation as a valuable treatment option or health benefit. They merely highlight the importance of large study sizes and gold standard scientific research. Rather than mislead and disappoint, it’s up to industry leaders to provide a platform with integrity and honesty that guides and supports individuals in their practice.

Flexibility

To be truly accessible, meditation needs to have entry points for varying levels of experience and reasons. The instruction of meditation may be universal, but the way it’s presented can engage and motivate one individual but completely switch off another.

To expand on this, let’s look at two meditators. The first individual is tight for time and looking for tools to relieve stress. They need more guidance and instructions that centre around relaxation and letting go of their thoughts. Excessive spiritual language or anything they couldn’t relate to would probably cause resistance and scepticism.

On the other hand, the second individual has more time on their hands and has been meditating for over a year. Their goals are different to stress relief - they are attempting to profoundly change the way they understand themselves by exploring their consciousness. For this individual, a meditation platform should offer minimal instruction and allow deeper introspection.

These two very different goals are not incompatible in a platform. They just require different instructions and transparency so an individual can choose the guidance that helps them with their personal goals.

Industry leaders and meditation platforms have a responsibility to provide honest information and guidance that depends on an individuals goals and requirements. As users continue to increase around the world, it should be their mission to cut through the tangle of claims and promises. With a platform that honestly informs and guides, more people can be proactive with their wellbeing and build a happier state of mind.

If you’re struggling to get the word out about your meditation practice, why not come to the professionals at Coster Content? We can create content that speaks to the right audience. Get in touch today on 0161 413 8418.