Meditation is beautiful and powerful. But often times, we think too much about it. We walk into it with our minds, not our free hearts.

You must first understand that everything is meditation. Don’t say, “I’m going to practice meditation.” Meditation is not something that you do or you practice. Real meditation just happens. It’s the same with love—real love just happens.

You can’t plan for meditation, just as you can’t plan for love. Instead, you prepare your mind and body so that one day meditation may happen to you. Most of us would read this and ask, “Isn’t planning and preparing the same thing? How do I prepare my mind and body?” The answer is simple—prepare yourself by letting everything go. Release your anxiety, stress, worries and fears. Stop thinking and over-analyzing. Simply put, let go of the mind.

True meditation cannot be associated with the mind. When the mind disappears, meditation exists. The mind is limited, but love is unlimited. So are the Universe and life itself. In order to connect to these higher messages and reach the spirit, you must drop your mind.

At first, and for a long time afterward, letting go of the mind is very tough. Some people find a meditative aid useful in helping to let go of the constant swirl of thoughts and emotions. Choose a symbol that you connect with personally. It may be your favorite tree, a rose or a token of some sort, but it should be something you have experienced. Once you experience something, you can use it as a gateway to pass through to this deep meditative state. And in doing so, you allow your thinking mind to take a hiatus and your intuitive nature to take over.