How Do I Know I’m Making Progress in Meditation?

Here’s the good news: the moment you sit down to practice, you’re already succeeding. Effort itself is progress. Consider it guaranteed.

Growth in meditation unfolds gradually, so stay with your routine and keep it light. Make your practice simple, easy, and enjoyable, and it will carry you forward.

Signs You’re on the Right Path

You’ll notice some combination of these experiences emerging over time:

• Steady, one-pointed focus

• A sense of spaciousness, emptiness, or lightness

• Softness and gentleness, a delicate quality to your awareness

• Stability and inner balance

• Joy, happiness, and contentment

• Equanimity, a calm evenness toward whatever arises

• Release, as if something has let go

• Openness and freedom in the space around you

Not every sign will appear at once, and they may show up in different ways for you. That’s perfectly natural.

Above all, resist the urge to over-analyze or judge your practice. As Mom used to say: “Just stay still!”

Keep Going, the Light Is Coming

Thomas Edison went through countless failed attempts before his light bulb finally glowed. He surely had moments of doubt, yet he kept going, and he was starting from scratch.

You have a head start. The method is already in your hands. You hold the matchbox and the sticks; all that’s left is to strike the match and light the fire within, for yourself.

With time and practice, you’ll discover how the pieces fit together in the way that works best for you, and your practice will bear fruit again and again.

So don’t rush. Enjoy the journey. Keep it simple, and trust that every session is moving you forward.