How do I completely shut off my mind in order to meditate?

Vanessa P.
Actually no need to “ shut off your mind” . Meditate is all about awareness , if your mind has “thoughts “ , it’s completely ok .
So when you meditate , you will see the thoughts come and go. You will easily welcome it , and letting go of it , then refocusing on your breath .
Alberto U.
You have to be by yourself without distractions. You have to have a strong imagination and visualization and completely focus on meditation. Allow your mind to wander but always find your way back. Focus on your breathing and your body before doing anything else. Quiet your mind.
Alexander S.
Although it is a common belief that meditation is shutting off your mind, if you are a beginner that is not something that you are going to achieve right away. It takes practice.
I start off doing guided meditation, this helps me not only focus on the voice but what I should be doing.
Remember though, there is no right or wrong way of doing things. It’s just about practice. One day you will be able to shut off your mind, but that may take awhile. I still can’t and I have been doing it on and off for over a decade.
Good luck and I hope this helped you. The app oak I find is very helpful for beginners and also will calmly bring you back to the meditation if your mind has wandered.
❤️❤️
Roger N.
Meditating starts with focus on the breath. This is the bedrock foundation of meditation. While I do believe that ‘shutting off the mind’ (in other words, having no word-based thoughts) is possible, this is something that takes a long time to acheive. Our minds are constantly active, and this is natural, as we are largely mind-based beings. What sets us apart from the other animals with whom we share the planet is our ability to use our minds to conceptualize and symbolize almost every aspect of our lives. This is both a great blessing and a great curse. Our minds are the basis for our cultures, our societies, our languages, and even our mind-based perspective influences our sense of morality and time. So you can see what a powerful friend and foe the mind can be.

I like to think of my mind as a dragon on a long and unbreakable but very thin leash. It is powerful, capable of producing great good and great evil, and the only way to keep it tamed is to hold onto the leash. When you sit with awareness (this simply means just giving as much attention to the present moment as you can manage, no more, no less), tune into your breath, and watch your dragon-mind, you are keeping it on the leash, and maybe even reeling it in. Just focus on breathing in and out comfortably and watch the thoughts in your mind arrive and pass away as if they were clouds in the sky. You will undoubted identify with some, in other words, you will be carried along with some of the thought-streams that arrive. This may manifest as remembering something that made you angry recently, or sad, or recalling something you watched on television last night, or a conversation you had recently, or what you want to eat for your next meal, etc. The thought forms that manifest in your mind are literally infinite. The key is not to try and completely mute your mind, because the dragon is not so easily tamed.

It takes time. For the first weeks or months, try to be content by just sitting and watching your thoughts come and go, and doing so dispassionately. Work on not being carried away by the thoughts, and this in time will strengthen your grip on the leash. Eventually, you and the dragon can become allies. It is a great thing to have a dragon at your side to help you when you need assistance, but it is a bad thing to be whipped and pulled here and there by a dragon that does his own bidding, and that you have no control over. As they say: ‘the mind makes a great servant, but a horrible master’. Focus on just being present (Be Here Now), breathing, and watching your thoughts, rather than trying to suppress or judge them. In time, whether it be weeks, months, or years, the quiet will come that is like a still pond with no ripples. And that’s when your mind is quieted. Until then, just be patient, and watch and learn about how your mind works. I hope this helps!

August Z.
Try to focus on your breathing in and out. When your mind just gently come back to the breath. Breath in and breath out over and over.
Kaylee S.
That’s something that can’t be done, because the goal of meditation isn’t to completely silence the mind. The goal is to be aware of the thoughts but to not let them be in total control. Just be mindful of them when they come, don’t focus on them, focus on the breath, and just let the thoughts float through your mind like clouds floating away. Hope that makes sense.
Acilino P.
I just focus on my surroundings first. In this wat i know all the sounds en know what to expect from my surrounding. Most of the time i meditate in a quiet place where i have more comfort.
Gertrude N.
Hi. I recommend you do not try to totally shut off your mind. Meditation is about learning to control what you pay attention to. If you are meditating with a focus on your breath and find your mind wandering, gently and kindly return your attention to your breathing. Sometimes counting your breaths up to 10 and then starting over at one can help you notice more easily when your mind wanders. Over time, meaning several weeks of practice, you will find you can focus for longer before your mind wanders. In day to day life this helps you be able to calm yourself down more quickly. Of course if you are very upset meditating will be more difficult, so always be patient as you practice.
Soline O.
This takes practice. And sometimes lots of it!! I fell asleep quite a bit for the first month or two of focused practice. I started out for 5 minutes and gradually upped my time practicing. A quiet and comfortabley tempered place ( not to hot and not to cool). Helps too.w
Albana Z.
I will not fight against my thoughts but instead understand that these thoughts are part of me so I will reflect on my feelings and improve for the better
Nanna Z.
You don't. It's a natural consequence of meditating. You just let your mind be and let your thoughts pass like clouds in the sky. Whenever you realize you started thinking and worrying you jst bring your awarenes back to your breath. Your mind will eventually become quiet the longer you medtitate and the more often you do it, without any efort on your part. All you have to do is redirect your attention back to your breath. Trying consciously and with effort to quiet your mind will have the opposite effect.
Mille W.
I don’t think you can. Meditation is referred to as a practice because it’s something that needs to be worked towards rather than easily achieved. I find there are days when it’s easier to quiet the mind, and some when it’s all I can do to breathe for 5 minutes constantly working to keep the swirling vortex of thoughts at bay. It’s a process not a destination
Albina Z.
You can’t completely shut off your mind. That’s exactly what real meditation results give you after you release the need and resistance of wanting to shut your mind off. Be in meditation with your mind for a time let all of the thoughts pass through including the uncomfortable ones every day and watch the shutting off occur naturally it’s a practice just like physical excercise
Ida X.
Focus on your breathing ,any thoughts that come into your mind ,observe it and gently let them go like clouds in the sky …you see and you let go
Joscha J.
You don't have to! Try guided meditation that gives you a focus. Meditation to me isn't about shutting my brain off, but seeing my thoughts, acknowledging them, and then turning my attention inwards again. I suggest trying the free 10day version of the headspace app.
Orlando N.
I focus on my breath. In, out, in, out. In case mind wanders, I come back to my breathe. Having a focal point such as that should help
Irma U.
Meditate is not about shutting down the mind with no thought – as that is a thought already.

As thoughts arise, simply let it flow as you are an audience in a theatre. Keeping the breaths in and out peacefully and slowly to have a sense of focus.

Keep practicing everyday and 5 – 10 minutes for the first 2 weeks, and you can slowly come to the state

Krin S.
I struggle with that myself. So I try to focus on my long term goals. Trying to visualise the the results I want. The problem is that I visualise with words, as I am something of a writer and a fan of literature on paper. Not digital.
Towards the end of meditation, my mind is usually quite.
Jesus A.
I don't. It has taken me a LONG time, but I now realize that my mind's job is to think, so I simply notice thoughts coming to mind & save them for later. Counting my breaths helps me focus the most.
Rasmus P.
It’s not about shutting off your mind. It’s about observing the thought that come without judgement or giving them value. Look at them like you would a bird on your window and then watch them go
Tanja O.
I pick something simple to focus on like my breathing. Keep it steady and focus on the full inhale, then on the release I let the other thoughts drift out with my breathe.
Ethel E.
I don't try to "shut off" my mind. I find that when I stop trying to concentrate on clearing my mind and let it do what it wants it clears itself. If I get off track I look at what comes up and let it pass.
Catherine F.
I’m not sure you can completely shut everything out. I try to focus on one thing. I especially like the one where I focus on breathing. I try to pull back when my mind starts to wander.
Sis Nio P.
Impossible to shut off the mind what we can do is be a witness to the thoughts as they come up yet do not get caught up in them observe, and let them go and always come back to your breath or mantra
D Cio Z.
Concentrate on breathing … Feel the comfort around you…play some nature sounds or meditation guidance videos…
KEEP BELIEVING, THAT YOU CAN