I can’t find a quiet place to meditate. Is that a problem?

Not necessarily. When you’re first getting started with meditation, it can be helpful to find a relatively quiet place to practice. This will help you focus your effort on the task at hand and reduce the likelihood of being continually distracted by the random sounds of life. (This is why headphones can also be helpful at first.)

And yet, it’s a misconception that you must have complete silence in order to meditate. Once you have more experience, you will be able to practice anywhere, with any sound: birds chirping, the hum of the air conditioner, children running down the hallway past your door.

Everything is an invitation to be here now.