What isn't meditation?

Meditation is reflecting and being introspective
Quite the opposite. Meditation means leaving things as they are, allowing your thoughts to appear without summoning or analysing them. The content of our thoughts is of no interest while we meditate. We simply observe them as if they were soap bubbles

Meditation means cutting yourself off from the world, withdrawing into yourself and being a bit egocentric
In fact, meditation means connecting better and more with the world around you. It also means reducing self-obsession, cultivating altruism and trying to be more present in your relationships with other people.

Meditation means not thinking. You have to make an empty space in your head or block your thoughts
No, that's impossible (unless you knock yourself unconscious ;-) ). Meditation means calmly reinforcing your attention and benevolently observing your thoughts appear and disappear by themselves, without invading or monopolising your mind. Thoughts are the salt of meditation. When meditating, you observe the moments of silence that already exist in the spaces between your thoughts.

Meditation can only be done in complete silence
Not necessarily. It's important to accept your audio environment whatever it's like, to accept reality as it is for you. However, a calm environment will help your meditation practice.

Meditation has to start with a 15-day retreat in India
Definitely not! A little meditation done often is better than a lot of meditation done rarely. If you can integrate meditation into your everyday life, you've already achieved a great deal.

Meditation is like relaxation
Actually, meditation doesn't teach you to let go of tension, but instead to consider it with attention. Not to modify your experience but to be fully attentive to it. Although of course, there's a kind of temporary relief or relaxation to be had from 'letting go' of the sources of your internal conflicts in this way.

Meditation means adopting a new religion
Absolutely not. These meditations are completely secular and open to people from all religious backgrounds, whether or not they are believers. Many people from different religions practice meditation without any conflict with their beliefs.

Meditation is for people with particular skills
Wrong again! Everyone can meditate. This doesn't mean analysing and reflecting on just anything, but instead fully feeling and living an experience.

Meditation is only possible for people who already have a calm mind
Not at all. The core of meditation is a need to welcome your unruly thoughts, to improve your capacity for paying attention and to rediscover a little clarity of mind.

Meditation is aimed at achieving nirvana
In fact, there's no such thing as success or failure in meditation, or any objective to achieve – nor even an end to the process. You should abandon any type of expectation and prevent yourself from forcing anything or becoming tense. You may sometimes achieve a state of profound peace, calmness and clarity without it in any way being a powerful experience.

Meditation means embracing exoticism or meditation culture (the lotus position, oriental decoration, bells, Zen, incense, remote monasteries and so on)
None of this does any harm, of course, but we advise you to meditate simply with a chair and comfortable clothing. This means that you will be able meditate anywhere: at work, on public transport etc.

Meditation is complicated
Meditation is actually incredibly simple. Your mind begins to wander, you notice, you allow your wandering thoughts to disappear and bring your attention back to the initial subject. And you repeat this process. The important thing is to progress at your own rhythm and to gradually discover the benefits linked to the practice.

Meditation is escapism 
Far from it. When you meditate, you are immersed in reality and focus your attention on the current instant. This enables you to overcome unhelpful thoughts and mental routines and to achieve greater clarity about yourself and your environment.