How to handle distractions during meditation
A brass band could pass by and I wouldn’t be bothered by it.
Distractions in meditation used to drive me nuts.
Before my current home, I lived with my husband in a beach shack in Mermaid Beach (Australia).
We had wooden floors that would creak and groan as you walked the hallway. And the entire house echoed regardless of what room you were in. If the winds were strong, the windows creaked and banged. Even the washing machine would cause the house to shake.
Strong anxiety during that time led me to start a meditation practice. I began meditating each morning in a small spare room with the door closed. But although I was desperate for silence, it would evade me.
The sound of my husband walking the hallway, closing doors, flushing the toilet, or joining a work call would all pull me out of my serenity.
A strong gust of wind, the sound of distant construction, and the revving of a motorbike were other points of frustration.
I’d only just get relaxed into a state of mindfulness when another sound would come. If only I had silence I could have meditated effectively. Right?
Wrong.
