One of the biggest takeaways I learned through meditation is how to correct myself in a caring non-judgmental way. When I first started and would catch my mind drifting the correction in my mind felt harsh and competitive. An inner drive telling me to “do better.”

It took time, but now the correction doesn’t feel like a correction at all. There’s no longer a mental reprimand. It’s ok because drifting is part of the process. It’s just a matter of being aware and guiding myself back.

This change also made an impact on me beyond a meditation practice. In life there’s always going to be mistakes. A drifting off path. When it happens it’ll be easy to question why we didn’t do better or think it was because we weren’t good enough and correlate the mistake with a judgement about who we are as a person. It creates baggage.

Mistakes in life, like our thoughts drifting in meditation, are ingrained in our human experience. Don’t be too upset that it happened. By the time you realize it happened the mistake is already a part of your past. Just practice being aware and bringing yourself back on track.