When I started meditating by myself this is one of the questions that I asked myself a lot so that I could make progress in my meditation experience.
I started meditating in 2014. I went to a camp in the north of Thailand that was arranged by a university club named “Youth”. I was really amazed by the scenery and the serenity presented to me. I saw many green forests, a nice tent surrounded by soft grass, and a big meditation room that could fit 50 people easily. The senior of the club invited a group of monks to teach us how to meditate. In the first couple of days, I felt meditation was really tough and hard to do. I would like to quit so many times but because there are a lot of people who are the same age as I still meditate so I have to endure it. As the time passed I felt it become much easier the thoughts that live in my head slowly disappear. The anxiety and the fear that I could not do it were replaced by the confidence which happened because of the guidance of monks and the kindness of my club seniors. They give me good advice on how to meditate and make the environment around me as calm as possible by confiscating my phone and allowing me to not use it for a few hours to let my mind be with myself most of the time. When the camp ends, they recommend everyone to meditate every day. I take that advice and still meditate even though I spend less time meditating due to my laziness and other entertainment. When I meditate by myself it is more comfortable because I don’t have to sit on the floor and I could do it any time I want. As the time passed, my friend who went to the camp together and still meditated became less and less because they stopped meditating by themselves.
So In my opinion Meditation whether in a group or by yourself has pros and cons. Meditating by yourself may give you more chances and more freedom to practice because you could do it anytime and anywhere you want, and you could also arrange an environment that suits you best when you decide to meditate such as a quiet room, a soft and warm seat however you would be easily discouraged by the entertainment around you.
In contrast, meditating with a lot of people may cause some noise when people are walking or coughing but the energy from people who meditate together would help you stay on track and continue to meditate through the end of the session.
So I think it is important for us meditators to practice meditation by ourselves so that we could have a habit of meditating every day and find some time at least once a week to meditate with a group so that we could share and receive positive energy and guidance of meditation.
