What’s the first visual that pops into your head when you hear the word “meditation”?

Let me articulate what you’re probably thinking of:

Sitting cross-legged on a velvety green and lush patch of grass in a beautiful garden as the warm sun gently rises (or sets) in the distant horizon while a soothing wind calmly brushes your cheek. Birds are twittering in dulcet tones in the background and you are as comfortable as can be. Your mind has gone delightfully blank and peace settles on you like the softest blanket crafted by nature.

Now what if I told you that you had to meditate in a household which comprised of two other fully-grown human beings, where movement and noise was rampant, and where you didn’t necessarily have space to yourself?

Poof! Disappeared those earlier serene visuals, have they not?

But let me you something, it still is very much possible to experience the same feelings that situation 1 generates despite being surrounded by say, the microwave buzzing or the washing machine whirring or the melodic sound of a creaking cupboard being opened (and then closed) or…well you get my drift, don’t you?

So being a (mostly) regular meditator and finding myself in situation 2, I felt at a loss with no clear path to follow. I had never meditated in a noisy or bustling environment because I simply didn’t think it would be possible.

So, well, I didn’t. For the longest while at least.

But eventually, the stresses of everyday existence eventualy caught up to me and I longed to get back to my previous meditation habit. So I thought to myself, You know what, there’s nothing to lose, what’s the worst that can happen? So I started meditating amidst the household bustle. For about a week, it felt really strange, especially when I felt my flatmates’ presence in the same area and I was really annoyed with the constant noise and movement. My heartbeat increased and I found myself actively searching for external sounds instead of focusing on my breath or body. I constantly felt on edge and didn’t really feel myself drifting.

But guess what—I decided to stick with it and eventually things became easier. I still noticed the presence of the other party but somehow it didn’t bother me as much. I consciously noted the disturbance for a brief second before gently bringing my attention to my center.

After doing this for a while I realized that I was feeling the meditation feeling that I was used to and that as a result of this situation, my practice has become stronger!

This understanding really felt amazing because it was so contradictory to what I had assumed before. Also, I like it when my assumptions are challenged because it shows me that there is so much I still have to learn.

So for those of you who aren’t meditating because of a noisy environment, believe me, it is possible to do so. You can teach yourself to be the unperturbed rock in the middle of a stormy sea.

[FEATURED IMAGE SOURCE – THOUGHT I’D GET ON THE AI TREND 😉 ]