Almost everyone who tries meditation for the first time goes through the same thing: you sit down, close your eyes… and ten seconds later your mind is already in three places at once. Work, a grocery list, an old conversation, “Am I doing this right?”, “How much time has passed?” And eventually you think, “Well, I guess I’m not made for this.”
But that is meditation in the beginning. It’s not failure. It’s not proof that you “can’t do it.” It’s a normal start—because the mind is used to running, and you’re just beginning to teach it how to return.
And it’s important to say this clearly: meditation is not “stopping your thoughts.” Nobody flips their thoughts off like a light switch. Meditation is the skill of noticing that you’re thinking… and gently returning to the present moment. Again and again. Softly. Without attacking yourself.
If you want the simplest way to begin, start with your breath. Not because you need to breathe in a special way, but because the breath is the easiest anchor. It’s always here. Always “now.” And when your attention returns to it, your whole system gradually settles.
