By: Rosana Sotile, Chopra Certified Well-Being Coach

Is Meditation Part of Religion?

Recently, I wrote about the misconception that you’re not supposed to have any thoughts during meditation. Another common misconception is whether or not meditation is part of a religion or something that can be spiritually harmful. 

Nothing could be further from the truth! In fact, one of my favorite sayings touches on this perfectly:

“Prayer is when you ask the questions, and meditation is when you hear the answers.”

When you enter into the space of inner stillness, your body and mind become balanced, and your spirit, or soul, is able to flourish. 

Slip Into The Gap

Something else that happens during meditation, is that no matter how many thoughts you have strung together, and no matter how much it seems like those thoughts are endless, there’s actually a space between each thought.

If there wasn’t a space between each thought, then everything would be happening at the same time. And that’s impossible. 

The space between thoughts has two qualities:

1. It’s silent. If this space wasn’t silent, then it would be the next thought.

2. It’s filled with infinite possibilities. Between each thought is the possibility for any other thought, and the choices are infinite.

During meditation, your awareness will begin to settle to finer and finer levels of thought, until eventually you slip into the “gap”, or the space between thoughts. And when your consciousness dips into this infinite silence, you connect to who you really are.

Your true self, your soul/spirit, exists within the space between your thoughts. This is because your mind and your ego create your thoughts, so when you silence the mind and ego, all that’s left is your spirit. This is the real YOU, the part of your “Self” that exists outside of your mind and body and is infinite in nature. 

Hear the Answers

You won’t know you’ve slipped into the gap during meditation, but you’ll feel the effects when you come out of meditation and continue with your day. With consistent practice, you’ll soon begin to “hear” the answers you’re looking for. You’ll hear them in your heart and with your intuition. Sometimes the answers are obvious, and other times you’ll need to trust your instincts through mindfulness practices and synchronicities.

Remember, you are not your thoughts, not your emotions, not your feelings, and you’re really not your body, either. You are the thinker of your thoughts. You are the observer of your emotions and physical experiences. You are the spirit inside your human body. And once you connect to that part of yourself during meditation, you naturally begin to integrate your spirituality with your mind and body for greater well-being and lasting joy.

Meditation is a practice, and consistency is KEY!. The more you practice it, the more you’ll experience its benefits, even if it’s for a few days a week just starting out. Five minutes of meditation each day is better than zero minutes!

Want more?

I have a collection of FREE guided meditations and affirmations exclusively for my Sacred Space Digest members. Sign up for my free weekly wellness guide and get access TODAY!

Rosana Sotile is the founder of Sacred Space Health, LLC and holds certifications as a Well-Being Coach, Primordial Sound Meditation Instructor, and an Ayurveda Health Instructor from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Chopra Education. She has a passion for helping people discover their inner sacred space and embrace the power of manifesting new realities. She also enjoys spending her free time in nature, especially at home in South Louisiana with her four children and one cat.

Rosana can be reached at info@rosanasotile.com, or direct message on LinkedIn