The most difficult thing most people experience when beginning meditation is trouble with concentration and clearing the mind. Inevitably, thoughts about work, relationships and even obsessive thoughts about meditation, during meditation, interfere with the peace of the practice. Don’t worry; this happens to everyone and there are things you can do to help.
There are several techniques available to help you focus when you start with meditation. One meditation technique is counting the breaths. As you focus on the breathing during meditation, pay attention to each breath and count it.
When you start focusing on the breath, you are focusing on the complete inhalation and exhalation of each breath. For some people, this is enough to quiet the mind and relax into mediation. Others are not so lucky.
For many people, focusing on the breath is minimally helpful. Within a few moments, the mind begins to wander again. If this is happening to you, counting the breath may be a helpful technique to keep your mind from wandering and daydreaming.
In the beginning, focus on the breath and count each exhalation breath. When you get to about 20, start again and count from one. The idea is not to get an accurate count of how many breaths you have taken and trying to count the total is actually more distracting.
After a little while, switch and begin to count each inhalation breath. When you switch from counting the exhale breaths to counting the inhalation, it helps to maintain focus on the breath and to bring the attention to a different aspect of the breath. For more change, try counting the empty space at the top or bottom of each breath.
Counting the breaths is a good technique to help you learn to relax, empty the mind and focus during meditation. While you are clearing the mind and relaxing, you may find that you have more energy and are better able to focus when you take the time to meditate. The result of your efforts is a deep feeling of calm and living a more centered and balanced life.