how do you stay focused during meditation?

I wait until everyone is out of my house. The house is nice and quiet there’s nothing going on. I’m waiting till everyone is out of my house. My house is nice and quiet there’s nothing going on. Then I put on my fav. Sounds and just breath through a nice meditation. Sometimes I mix meditation with yoga. I feel great after that.

Keep noting your breath. Think "in" as you inhale and "out" as you exhale. Sometimes I mark my breaths with "here" and "now." I find this helpful because during my therapy for anxiety, I was told meditation helps bring you to the present moment and stop your brain wandering into the past or future (where anxiety usually comes from!) If you lose focus, don't be hard on yourself. Just bring your focus back to your breath and let you mind settle into it. It takes practice, but you'll notice yourself getting better if you keep trying!

Practice. And you have to be patient. Some days are harder than others. Don’t be to hard on yourself. And try different things. Lying down, sitting, music, no music. An app or just a timer.

I focus on my breath, and if my mind wanders I stry to bring it back to my breath, just feeling all the sensations of in and out. Sometimes this is not easy, and my mind wanders with every exhale. But when I notice, I aim to come back to the breath and hold my thoughts there a moment.
What can also help is lighting a candle and focusing on the flame, the shape and movement, the brightness, and this can help, especially when the room is dark.
A mantra to repeat, a simple ohm sound, also helps give the mind somewhere to settle.

This used to be difficult for me. For my first few meditations, I even fell asleep! I found that once I got into breath control or body scan, it helped me hold my focus and stay attentive. I’ve been using the Balance app for these skills and it’s been wonderful.

Thanks for the question. To stay focused during meditation, I visualize the waves of the ocean, going out with the in breath and coming to shore with the out breath. Sometimes, I choose a sound, “Ah” with the in breath, “ohm” with the out breath. It’s ok to get distracted, just gently note it (thinking or feeling) and move your attention back to the breath. Best of luck.

For me, part of meditation is letting go of the need to practice correctly and to just allow my experience to be what it is. Accepting that my mind will naturally wander allows me to just notice when I've drifted off and bring my attention back.

More guided exercises are better when you are starting. As you gain more practice, you can try longer meditation with less guidance.