For everyone who’s ever thought: “I just can’t meditate.”
Some people make meditation look effortless. Sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, face glowing with serene Buddha calm.
And then there are people like me — who, after three breaths, are already planning dinner and wondering if there’s still time to send that one last email.
In this story I’ll share how I discovered that stillness isn’t the only path to peace — and how Qigong, a form of moving meditation, taught the noisy monkeys in my head to finally settle down.
There was a time I genuinely believed I was the only one who couldn’t meditate.
Everyone else seemed to have mastered it — sitting upright, perfectly still, blissed out.
Meanwhile I’d be shifting, fidgeting,
and silently arguing with myself about whether I’d locked the back door.
My mind has always been a zoo.
A lively troop of caffeine-fuelled monkeys
swinging from branch to branch,
making lists, replaying memories,
and forever losing the car keys.
And honestly?
Sitting still only made it worse.
I thought, maybe something’s wrong with me.
Until I realised… it’s not just me.
One of my best friends, Constanze — gloriously neurodivergent — once said,
“If I have to meditate, I get stressed about the fact that I’m supposed to be calm.”
We laughed, but inside I thought:
Yes. Exactly that.
Guided meditations helped a little,
until the voice didn’t match.
You know that one voice that sounds like
someone’s trying to hypnotise you down the phone?
That’s my cue to leave.
(Sorry, Dr. Joe — Love your work. Don’t like your meditation voice.)
Why Meditation Feels Hard (and Why It Matters Anyway)
Meditation isn’t about emptying your mind.
It’s about becoming familiar with what’s already there.
It brings you back to the place
where silence, clarity and intuition meet.
As Peter Sage, one of my mentors, says:
“The answers are in alpha.”
When your brain slows down from the busy beta state into the gentle rhythm of alpha,
your whole system begins to receive again.
In that quiet space between thought and feeling
lies access to creativity, healing and wisdom.
But let’s be honest: for many of us —
especially the sensitives, the ADHD souls, and the colourful Pippi Longstockings among us 😉 —
sitting still isn’t the gateway to peace.
It’s more like torture with incense.
Your mind keeps chatting, your body wants to move,
and silence feels like noise with the volume turned down.
Discovering Moving Meditation
In 2020 I stumbled upon Qigong.
I had no idea what to expect —
but after a few sessions, something magical happened.
The monkeys in my head grew quieter.
Not because I forced them to,
but because they began to listen.
Movement by movement.
Breath by breath.
As if my body whispered:
“Shhh… let me take it from here.”
That’s when I realised:
Qigong is meditation.
Just a different kind — one my busy brain could actually fall in love with.
It’s meditation through motion,
a way to bring your awareness back
from the endless chatter of the mind
into the stillness of the body —
where energy and peace live side by side.
Silence Isn’t the Goal
Silence isn’t the end point;
it’s the space where you can finally listen.
Not to the outside world,
but to what’s moving quietly beneath it.
Where body, breath and intuition line up again.
Where answers stop shouting and start to whisper.
Where the Universe (or Shen, or God, or simply your inner wisdom)
finally gets the chance to speak back.
They’re talking all the time, by the way —
we just rarely slow down enough to hear them.
Meditation Between Laughter and the Kettle
I’ve never been the 5am-meditation kind of woman.
I don’t have a silent room, a special cushion, or the sound of ocean waves on repeat.
I have Jules — my little angel with an extra chromosome —
who fills our home (and my heart) with sound.
So my meditation happens right in the middle of life:
between Jules’s laughter, the kettle hissing,
and the flow of Qi through my body
while I do Qigong or “stand still” in Zhan Zhuang.
A year ago, if you’d told me I could stand still for 60 minutes,
I would have laughed out loud.
But now?
It’s my favourite place in the Universe.
It feels like floating in space —
in that quiet, humming quantum field I simply call the Now.
And the best part?
Afterwards I’m not dreamy or dazed,
but clear. focused. alive.
As if someone turned off the inner noise
and left only what truly matters.
✨ Want to Experience It Yourself?
If sitting still isn’t your thing either,
but you long for calm, clarity and focus,
come move with me.
Every Monday I teach Qigong classes — live and online —
for anyone with a busy mind, a tender heart,
and a body that’s ready to breathe again.
Or start at home with my online course Waking the Qi (if you understand Dutch) —
a gentle six-day introduction to Qigong
for women who crave peace, energy and balance.
Much love & Qi,
Dominique
👉 Find out more at: dominiqueboesten.nl/qigong
About Dominique
Dominique Boesten is a certified Qigong teacher and the founder of The Qi Oasis. She supports conscious women in cultivating vitality, beauty and inner calm from within — through Qigong, natural self-care and pure, fresh skincare.
Her work blends Eastern wisdom with modern awareness and invites you into a path of happy & healthy ageing.