How to Quiet The Mind During Meditation

A lot of people from beginners in meditation through to people who have been meditating for some time face the question “How to quiet the mind during meditation”. The pace of life most of us experience means that it’s not always as easy to switch off our mind chatter as we’d like.

So, when you’re about to meditate, what are the best ways to quiet your mind?

Start by paying your mind less attention. It’s a bit like an annoying child or pet that wants you to constantly respond to it. Mentally, press the “ignore” or “delete” button and see whether that works.

Distract your mind. Most people’s minds are easily distracted. Give it something else to think about and see how that works. Whether it’s the meditation you’re currently focusing on or the sounds of nature (or otherwise) taking place around you. Focus on one small detail and let your mind explore that with you.

Don’t hang on to your thoughts. Let them drift through your mind like a fluffy cloud drifting through the sky. This takes a bit of practice as we’re so used to concentrating on our thoughts all the time but is well worth doing, even if we don’t manage it all the time.

Trying the opposite can also work: grab onto that thought that’s been kicking around your mind for longer than you’d like. be obstinate with the thought until your mind finally gets the idea that it should let it go.

Just chill and go with the flow. This is an excellent way to quiet the mind during meditation. Allow whatever is happening in your thoughts to just happen. They’re happening for a reason, let them occur in the background whilst you place your focus on your meditation. That way you’ll begin to learn how to quiet the mind during meditation.