Thinking you're not doing meditation right is itself wrong. Two simple phrases from Dr. Wayne Dyer and Alan Watts that reframed everything.
I often find myself listening to workshops, podcasts, and reading books on how we can become better meditators, better therapists, and better versions of ourselves. I wanted to share two phrases on meditation that have stayed with me — simple words that shifted how I view my practice. Mindfulness And Mental Health is a topic that comes up often in therapy.
Meditation — professional therapy at Now & Zen Wellness in Tampa.
“There is no such thing as a bad meditation.” — Dr. Wayne Dyer and Mindfulness And Mental Health
This phrase comes from Dr. Wayne Dyer’s Ten Secrets for Inner Peace and Success, specifically from the chapter “Embrace the Silence.” I love it because I often catch myself wondering, Am I doing this right? During meditation, my thoughts can spiral — first I notice a thought, then I criticize myself for having it, then I critique the critique. Suddenly, I’m evaluating my meditation instead of just being in it.
But that phrase reminds me: none of it is bad. Even the judgmental thoughts are part of consciousness, part of being human. Instead of fighting them, I can accept them more gently. Meditation isn’t about eliminating thoughts, but about letting them come and go — like little thought bubbles floating away.
“Meditation is a perfect waste of time.” — Alan Watts and Mindfulness And Mental Health
I first heard this in one of Alan Watts’ talks on Eastern philosophy. At first, the phrase made me laugh — but the more I sat with it, the more profound it felt.
We live in a culture obsessed with doing — always asking what am I doing, what should I be doing, what could I be doing? My inner critic often shows up here, reminding me of all the things I “should” be doing.
But calling meditation “a perfect waste of time” reframes everything. It honors the act of simply being. It allows me to treat meditation not as a distraction or an indulgence, but as something royal, sacred, and worthwhile.
That perspective doesn’t just apply to meditation. It extends to self-expression in any form — writing, creating, connecting — anything where self-worth is being nurtured rather than proven. Working through mindfulness and mental health in therapy makes a concrete difference.
What to Expect When Working on Meditation in Therapy
Many people come in not knowing what to expect from therapy around meditation. The short answer: you won’t be pushed to talk about things before you’re ready, and you won’t be handed a list of affirmations and sent home. Real work on meditation involves building awareness of the patterns — when they show up, what triggers them, what they’re protecting you from — and then slowly building a different response.
The first few sessions are mostly about getting a clear picture of what’s actually going on. Meditation rarely exists in isolation. It usually connects to something deeper — a history, a pattern of relationships, a learned way of coping that made sense at some point and now doesn’t. Therapy creates the space to look at that connection directly.
Progress isn’t always linear. Some weeks things feel clearer; others, something gets stirred up and you leave feeling worse before you feel better. That’s normal. It usually means you’re getting closer to something real. What changes over time is your relationship to meditation — not just your ability to manage it, but your understanding of where it comes from and why it still shows up.
Closing Thought
These phrases remind me that meditation is not about performance or productivity. It’s about presence. Whether I’m wrestling with my thoughts or letting them drift like bubbles — whether I’m “wasting time” or simply being — there is no bad way to show up. Mindfulness And Mental Health responds well to focused clinical support.
