Meditation can be intimidating to start. There's so much advice out there: apps, courses, books, different styles, different teachers. It's easy to feel overwhelmed before you even begin.
But meditation is much simpler than people expect.
After years of practice, I've realised that beginners really only need to understand three fundamental things. Once you grasp these, everything else falls into place. You don't need weeks or months of practice to "get good" at meditation. You can be great at it right now.
Let me show you how.
1. You're Not Trying to Stop Your Thoughts (And You Never Will)
This is the biggest myth about meditation, and it stops more beginners than anything else.
People sit down, close their eyes, and within 30 seconds their mind is racing. "What should I make for dinner? Did I send that email? Why is my leg itchy? Am I doing this wrong? I'm terrible at this."
Then they give up, thinking they're bad at meditation.
Here's what nobody tells you: The mind will always talk. That's literally its job.
The real aim of meditation is not to silence your thoughts, but to stop being controlled by them. There's a huge difference.
You Are Not Your Thoughts
Right now, there's a voice in your head reading these words. That voice narrates your life, makes commentary, worries about the future, replays the past. Most people are so identified with that voice that they think they are that voice.
But you're not.
You are the awareness that hears the voice.
Think about it. If you can observe your thoughts, then you must be separate from them.
What This Means for Your Practice
When you sit down to meditate and thoughts come up (and they will), you don't need to fight them. You don't need to push them away or feel frustrated. You simply notice them, like watching cars pass by on a street.
"Oh, there's a thought about work. There's a worry about tomorrow. There's a memory from last week."
And then you return to your anchor: your breath, your body, your chosen focus point.
That's it. That's the practice.
Every time you notice you've drifted into thought and gently bring yourself back, you're succeeding. That is meditation. It's not about how long you stay focused; it's about how many times you come back.
2. Pick One Simple Thing to Focus On (Just One)
Meditation doesn't need to be complicated. In fact, the simpler, the better.
You just need one clear exercise to focus on during your practice. Here are three of my favourites. Pick the one that resonates with you most:
The Breath
This is the most common and accessible method.
Sit comfortably and bring your attention to your breathing. Don't try to change it, just notice it. Feel the air as it moves in through your nose and out again. Feel your chest or belly rise with each inhale and fall with each exhale.
When thoughts come in (and they will), simply notice them, and then gently bring your focus back to the breath.
Your breath is always here, always steady, always waiting for you to return. It's your anchor.
The Mountain
Sit on your cushion and imagine you are a mountain: tall, steady, and unshakable. Your base is rooted deep in the ground. No matter what happens around you, you remain solid.
Above your head, your thoughts drift by like clouds. Some days, the sky is grey with heavy storm clouds of racing thoughts. Other days, the sky is clear and blue. But either way, the mountain does not change.
It does not chase the clouds or try to push them away. It simply remains strong, steady, at peace.
You are that mountain. Watch your thoughts pass by like clouds in the sky. See how little power they truly have over you.
The Whiteboard
Sit and imagine a whiteboard in front of you. As thoughts come, see them appear on the board like words or pictures being drawn across its surface. Don't fight them, don't try to erase them. Just watch them appear and fade.
Notice how you are not the whiteboard. You are the one watching.
Just Pick One
Don't try to do all three in one session. Don't switch between them every few minutes. Just choose one method and stick with it for your entire meditation.
The technique doesn't matter as much as you think. What matters is having something to return to when your mind wanders. That simple act of returning, over and over, is what trains your awareness.
3. Longer Is Actually Better (Especially for Beginners)
This might surprise you, but hear me out.
You'll often hear people say, "Just do 10 minutes a day." And yes, 10 minutes is better than nothing. But in my personal experience, short meditations never take me very far.
Here's why: It usually takes about 20 minutes just for your thoughts to begin slowing down, sometimes even longer. Your mind needs time to settle, like sediment sinking to the bottom of a glass of water.
The best meditations I've ever had lasted around 45 minutes. Why? Because it takes time to settle into your body, to let your mind calm down, and to really reach that deeper peace.
The Beginner Advantage
Counterintuitively, I believe beginners can actually benefit from starting with longer meditations. The extra time gives you more practice with the core skill: noticing when you've wandered and coming back.
If you only sit for 10 minutes, you might spend 8 of those minutes feeling restless and frustrated, with only 2 minutes of actual calm. But if you sit for 30 or 40 minutes, you give yourself time to move through that initial discomfort and experience what meditation can really do.
My Challenge to You
If you can, give yourself a real challenge: try to sit for at least 30 minutes.
I know that sounds like a lot. But here's the thing: you don't have to be "good" at it for all 30 minutes. You just have to sit there and keep practicing that one simple act: noticing when you've drifted, and coming back.
Be patient with yourself. The longer you sit, the more chance you have to experience the stillness you're searching for.
A Note on Guidance
I prefer playing music instead of listening to a guided meditation. Guided practices can sometimes move on too quickly, not giving you enough space to process what's happening in your own mind. You might just be starting to let go of something, and suddenly the voice is telling you to do the next step.
That's why I recommend, especially for beginners, finding some music that makes your body feel good and simply setting a timer. As long as you have one clear exercise to focus on (whether it's the mountain, the breath, or the whiteboard), that's all you need.
What Meditation Really Is
Let me tell you something meditation teachers don't always say upfront: meditation can bring deep sadness and pain. It can also bring joy and healing like you've never felt before. It brings peace. It brings truth.
Meditation opens a window into your soul. When you sit in silence and stop running from yourself, things come up. That's not a bug; it's a feature. It means the practice is working.
But you don't need years to access this. You don't need to be perfect at it. You don't need special equipment or to sit in a specific position or chant in a language you don't understand.
You just need to understand these three things:
- You're not trying to stop your thoughts. You're learning to stop being controlled by them
- Pick one simple thing to focus on and return to it over and over
- Give yourself more time than you think you need, at least 30 minutes if you can
That's it.
Now go sit. You're already ready.