What is Meditation Really About? Right. Let’s kill the guru bollocks straight off the bat.
You don’t need a cushion shaped like a flower, you don’t need to chant in Sanskrit, and you don’t even need to “clear your mind.” And no, that’s not even the point. The goal isn’t silence, it’s awareness. Your mind isn’t broken because it’s busy; meditation is about learning to sit with that noise, not erase it.
Here’s the real deal:
Meditation is just sitting quietly and not reacting to every single thought that shows up in your head like a screaming toddler in a shopping trolley.
That’s it.
That’s all it is.
But don’t let the simplicity fool you.
This one tiny habit can literally change your life, and I don’t mean that in the influencer-y “omg self care 🧘♀️✨” kind of way. I mean it in the rewire your brain, deal with your emotions, stop being a walking stress grenade kind of way.
Why Meditation Actually Works (Even If You Think It’s Not for You)
Let’s talk science for a sec. Think of your brain like a field of mud or wet clay; every time you think or feel something, it leaves a track. Meditation lets you start carving out new paths instead of getting stuck in the same old ruts. You’re not deleting your past wiring, you’re just laying down new routes that serve you better. Like when you usually reach for a drink when stressed, but instead, you take a breath and sit with the feeling. That’s a new path. It’s not about erasing who you’ve been, it’s about creating space for who you’re becoming.
🧠 When you meditate, you’re rewiring the brain. Literally.
It’s called neuroplasticity, your brain’s ability to change, adapt, and build new pathways. When you stop reacting to every thought, stressor, or feeling, you teach your nervous system that it’s safe to just be still.
And when your nervous system calms the fuck down?
- Your cortisol drops
- Your blood pressure lowers
- Your gut starts functioning properly again
- You sleep better
- You stop doomscrolling
- You stop reaching for distractions or numbing habits just to escape your emotions, whether it’s food, booze, or binge-watching shit you don’t even like
- You stop drinking just to shut your mind up.
If you’re stuck in fight-or-flight, which most of us are, meditation is the off-switch.
“But I Can’t Meditate, My Brain’s Too Busy”
No shit.
That’s the point. Nobody’s brain is quiet.
If your mind races, if you can’t sit still for 30 seconds without thinking of something cringey you said in 1998?
Congratulations. You’re human. Welcome to the party.
Meditation isn’t about not thinking.
It’s about not chasing the thoughts. Letting them pass through like traffic. You don’t jump in front of every car on the motorway, do you? Same here.
The win isn’t the absence of thought. The win is the moment you notice you’re thinking, and come back to your breath.
That’s it. That’s the rep. That’s the training.
Why I Started Meditating
I didn’t come to this from some yoga retreat. I came to it from chaos.
45 years of drinking, mate. Booze to sleep, booze to cope, booze to numb.
And when I stopped? The noise in my head was deafening.
I needed something that didn’t cost anything, didn’t require a therapist, and wouldn’t make me feel like I was doing life wrong.
Meditation didn’t fix me. But it gave me space.
Space to breathe, space to pause before reacting, space to decide what kind of man I wanted to be next.
That space changed everything.
How to Start (No Guru Nonsense)
Let me break it down simply, because I’m a fan of “keep it simple, stupid.”
🔹 Step 1: Sit Your Arse Down
Chair, bed, floor, doesn’t matter.
Sit in a way that’s comfortable, not twisted up like a pretzel.
🔹 Step 2: Shut Your Eyes
Don’t have to, but it helps. No one needs to see your socks anyway.
🔹 Step 3: Breathe
- In through your nose
- Out through your mouth
Slow. Steady. No drama.
🔹 Step 4: Focus on the Breath
That’s your anchor. The place you come back to when your brain legs it.
You’re not trying to get anywhere, you’re not trying to “do it right,” you’re just breathing and noticing.
What to Expect (Spoiler: It’s Not Bliss)
Here’s what usually happens:
- You start breathing
- You feel a bit calm
- Then your brain goes: “What’s for tea?” “Did I pay the council tax?” “You absolute tit, why did you say that to her in 2006?”
Perfect. You’re doing it right.
Catch the thought, don’t judge it, just gently come back to the breath.
That’s the workout. That’s the muscle you’re building.
Presence. Awareness. Discipline. Without the self-punishment.
My Go-To 2-Minute Meditation (In My Voice)
This is the one I started with. No apps. No music. Just me, my breath, and the decision to stay — to stay present, stay in my body, stay with whatever shows up instead of running or numbing.
Sit. Breathe. Here we go.
In through your nose…
Out through your mouth…
Feel your arse on the chair. That’s sensory grounding. The physical contact reminds your body it’s safe, here, now. That mind-body link is what pulls you out of your head and back into the present.
Feel your belly rise and fall.
No fixing. No changing. Just being here.
Thoughts come in.
“What’s the point?”
“You’re crap at this.”
“You should be doing something productive.”
Say hi to the thought. Don’t argue. Don’t wrestle. Just breathe.
In through your nose…
Out through your mouth…
Two minutes. That’s all. That’s your rep.
You can do this while sitting on the bog, standing in a queue, or during that 30 seconds between boiling the kettle and pouring the tea.
Tiny windows of peace. Use them. Before opening your emails. Before you get out of the car. While you wait for the kettle to boil. These little pockets of stillness are everywhere, you just have to claim them.
Real Benefits You’ll Notice (And Some You Won’t Expect)
✅ Less stress
✅ Clearer thinking
✅ You stop snapping at people you love
✅ Your sleep improves
✅ Your gut calms the fuck down
✅ You crave less sugar, less distraction, less chaos
But also…
✅ You realise how noisy your brain actually is
✅ You become less reactive
✅ You feel more you
You stop running. You start noticing. Noticing when you’re triggered. Noticing when you’re stressed and about to snap. Noticing when you’re not actually present in your own life, and pulling yourself back before the damage is done. That’s what helped me stop reacting like I used to when I was drinking. Short-fused, defensive, shut down. Now I catch it early. And that shift? That’s the difference between old me and the version of me I’m building now.
Like when I caught myself snapping at someone for no reason, and instead of spiralling into guilt or justifying it, I paused. I breathed. I felt the tightness in my chest and realised it wasn’t about them. It was old fear showing up again. Noticing gave me the choice to respond instead of react.
That’s the shift.
And when you notice, you can choose.
That’s where freedom lives.
What Meditation Isn’t
❌ It’s not about becoming a monk
❌ It’s not religious (unless you want it to be)
❌ It’s not about “clearing your mind”
❌ It’s not about doing it perfectly
❌ It’s not a one-time fix for a lifetime of stress
It’s just a habit. Like brushing your teeth.
You do it because not doing it makes life feel worse.
Sticking With It (Even When You Can’t Be Arsed)
Don’t aim for 30 minutes. Aim for 2.
Stack the win. That means start with something so small you can’t fail, a quick win your brain can bank. Like laying one brick a day. You’re not building the house today, you’re just proving you’ll show up. That’s how momentum starts. Not with perfection, but with proof.
Build the habit like this:
🔁 2 minutes in the morning
🔁 2 minutes before bed
Do that for a week. Then build from there. If you miss a day, who cares? Tomorrow’s still available.
You don’t get stronger by beating yourself up.
You get stronger by showing up, even when it’s scrappy.
Final Thoughts
Meditation is one of the few things in life that actually gives back more than it takes.
No side effects. No subscriptions. No bollocks. Just you, your breath, and a decision to sit still for a few minutes.
If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, anxious, angry, addicted, or just plain exhausted from trying to keep up, meditation won’t solve everything. But it will give you the space to deal with everything better.
That’s the win.
Ready to Start?
You don’t need to sign up for anything.
You don’t need a guru.
You’ve already got everything you need.
Your breath.
Your attention.
Your decision to show up.
So go on. Sit down. Breathe.
And meet the version of you that’s not driven by chaos.
P.S. Want a free audio of the 2-minute version to use daily? I’m building a free meditation pack inside the Sober Beyond Limits group. Jump in and I’ll send it straight to your inbox.
P.P.S. If you’re sober or sober curious and looking to rewire your head from the inside out, you’ll find more like this in my free 7-Day Kickstart at soberbeyondlimits.co.uk
