Why Real Men Meditate: Busting 5 Meditation Myths

Tell Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson he’s a wimp because he meditates. We dare you…

The Rock meditates. Mixed martial artist champions Georges St-Pierre, Diego Sanchez, and Jon Jones meditate. Russel Simmons, founder of Def Jam records, meditates. Jerry Seinfeld meditates. Podcaster, comedian Joe Rogan meditates. Billionaire Ray Dalio meditates. The list goes on. And on.

If some of the toughest, funniest, and richest men in the world meditate, why do so many guys shy away from getting thoughtless? Recent American studies show that fewer men than women meditate. The same holds for yoga (which often includes meditation), or mindfulness (which is a kind of meditation). This is ironic because meditation probably helps solve some predominantly male problems like heavy drinking, dying of heart disease and suicide.

We both have a meditation practice, and we’re puzzled by guys who don’t take the time to get thoughtless. Out and about, we’ve heard a few myths floating around. We’re going to bust those here.

Myth 1. I have to be flexible to sit in a meditation pose

Men are less flexible than women. This can make guys feel inferior – despite men having thicker skin. You may not be able to twist yourself into a pretzel pose, but meditation is not about posing. It’s about training your mind to focus, observing your thoughts and recovering for the next battle. Meditation can be achieved in almost any position. You can be sitting, standing, walking, running or in a twisted tiger-warrior-mountain-pretzel pose. You can even do it lying down. The easiest way that we’ve found to meditate, though, is to find a comfortable chair in a quiet space where you can slouch comfortably and watch your mind calm down.

Myth 2. I have to follow a guru with long hair, a beard and a robe

Sure, you can shave your head and wrap yourself in an orange robe to practice meditation (Jeremy even has one). But you can do it in your favourite tuxedo or birthday suit, too. Meditation is practiced and taught by many suit-wearing, or casually dressed men in the west. There are apps to teach you meditation. There are classes. There are religious forms of meditation. There are scientific forms of meditation. Meditation can fit into your existing world view or religion and make you more balanced, more focused and more effective.

Myth 3. Meditation is emasculating

“My girlfriend does it. My buddy’s wife is always talking about it. Why should I meditate? This practice seems to attract women and needy men.” We hear this tough-guy talk and our reaction is: tell The Rock that he is a pussy for meditating. Go on…

We love that women in the west have discovered the secret powers of inner mind control, but the idea of meditation being feminine is a new thing. Think about Samurai warriors before battle. Sun Tzu who wrote The Art of War. Napoleon. Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. They all meditated and I dare you to say they were feminine. This is why in places like India, where meditation is better understood, more men than women do it.

Myth 4. If I meditate I have to admit that something is wrong with me, and nothing is wrong with me

Some men believe that trying meditation means admitting that something is wrong. Women are more likely to ask for directions when lost, and women are happier to look for ways to improve their health. But there is nothing wrong with wanting to improve. Men want to improve their performance in business, sport, and work; meditation helps achieve all of those.

Sure, if you don’t have goals, if you don't want to get better, if you are 100% happy with your current life, income and health condition, then meditation is not for you. Yet the only people we know who are 100% happy with everything about their lives are people like the Dalai Lama…people who meditate a lot to stay that way.

Myth 5. I don’t have time to meditate

Like exercising your body, the more you meditate the better you’ll be, but even a minute a day will benefit you. You can even meditate while you are walking or working. So it doesn’t take time. And because time spent meditating gives benefits, we think the real question is: Can you afford to avoid it?

In our experience, meditation ends up creating more time. The heightened-focus and mood benefits encourage more effective work to be done. As Kreek likes to say, “Meditate for 20 minutes a day, but when you’re busy and overwhelmed, aim for an hour.”

How can I learn to meditate?

A great way is to go on a (free) 10-day Vipassana retreat where you meditate 11 hours per day and aren’t allowed to talk. If that’s too hard-core, there are classes everywhere, and even some techniques that take less than a minute. You can do it on your commute from work (as long as you’re not driving) in 15 minutes.

Try Jeremy’s resources here or here, or Adam’s resource. Or do some research and find a style of meditation that works for you. Like sports, meditation includes a broad range of activities. You will prefer some types of meditation and some meditation teachers more than others.

Dwayne Johnson @JonnyBones @GeorgesStPierre @DiegoSanchezUFC Russell Simmons @JerrySeinfeld @joerogan Ray Dalio

#HowickKreek #Meditation #Relaxation #Mindfulness #Zen #MensHealth #ManlyMeditation #wellbeing #corporatewellbeing #DoctorYou #careerdevelopment #career #personaldevelopment #success #personalgrowth #motivation #integrity #leadership #influence #development #careeradvice #entrepreneur #mindset #branding #communication #coach #coaching #businesscoach #ResponsibilityEthic #momentum #growth #business #responsibility #accountability #focus #goals #workculture #productivity #timemanagment #life #balance #lifepurpose

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About the authors

@jeremy howick is an Oxford-based philosopher and medical researcher who has conducted groundbreaking studies about placebos and why we need unbiased experiments. He has published 100 academic publications and is a qualified yoga instructor. He collaborates on placebo treatments and the need for rigorous evidence with the National Institutes of Health in the United States, the National Institutes of Health Research in the United Kingdom, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and Harvard University. He has won three teaching awards, appears regularly on television, and has written for the Times of London, the Huffington Post, and TheConversation. He recently published a mega-study of the health benefits of empathy and positive thinking. He has written about his research for non-academics in his most recent book Doctor You. He is now focused on creating a worldwide pandemic of wellbeing. He lives in Oxford with his wife and child. 

@adamkreek is an Olympic gold medallist in rowing, one of North America’s top Management Consultants, and an Executive Coach at KreekSpeak Business Solutions. He has degrees and certifications from Stanford University, UBC Sauder School of Business, and Queen’s Smith School of Business. He is a guest lecturer at the University of Victoria and teaches strategies and skills of leadership, high performance and perseverance to corporate and government teams globally through keynotes, workshops and online seminars. He has coached, trained and taught hundreds of thousands of people including teams at Microsoft, General Electric, Mercedes-Benz, L’Oreal, Shell, YPO, EO and TEDx. Most importantly, Adam walks the talk. He runs two small corporations: KreekSpeak Business Solutions and Ergo Eco Solutions, a low carbon initiative that connects small businesses with small governments. In 2013, Adam made the first-ever attempt to row unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to America, the subject of the NBC Dateline Documentary, Capsized. Adam believes in the growth we gain from the working grind and explores this in his new book, The Responsibility Ethic. Adam lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and three children.