I usually meditate in bed before I go to sleep or to help me fall asleep, but lately I have been finding I have no concentration while meditating and just get distracted by thoughts with little success or energy to focusing on the meditation. Any ideas for regaining focus while meditating?

I am not an expert on meditation however I happen to know and experience that the more you try to focus on meditation or a blank state of mind the more thoughts will come to your mind. So the best thing is to not try to stop the thoughts from coming to your mind rather acknowledge the thought and move on. Just observe your breath. You can also take help the guided meditations.

Don't think of your thoughts or anxious thoughts just focused on your breath ; take deep inhalation then slowly exhale and tell yourself that you will specify and time to think of these thoughts.

The whole point of meditation is to be aware of those thoughts and being the watcher of them rather than following and getting lost in them. So having thoughts are completely normal and you shouldn't try to supress or prevent them, it's not possible by fighting against them, you just need to allow them and take thoughts as thoughts and not take them too seriously, not only during the meditation, in your everyday life as well, which is even more important.

Personally I find meditating right after exercising early in the morning (around 5:30-6am) helpful for having more awareness. Doing it after exercising ensures that you won't fall asleep again and will be awake. Also the awake posture and sitting position is important and helps you to have more attention.

Hope this helps. Love.

Don’t worry too much, by thinking your brain is just doing it’s job! Meditation isn’t about totally clearing the mind, it’s rather about finding a place of peace and acceptance within yourself. Instead of focusing on whether your mind is wandering, what thoughts are going through your mind, etc. try allowing them to just be while gently guiding your attention back to your breathing. A good metaphor is to imagine your thoughts like the weather – transient, going on in the background, but not defining your experience. Once you stop worrying about completely not thinking, you’ll find it easier to focus on the breath and the present moment. Good luck 🙂

Meditation is not about focus. It's about letting thoughts go. Whenever a thought comes up just let it go and focus on your breath. This is like a muscle, the more you practice, the better you will get. Good luck.

I always do a guided meditation to help me stay on track or knowledge you have strayed from your thinking and then focus on your breath

For me, I have to listen to a guided meditation to stay focused. It's hard for me to just focus on breathing. I started listening to an Abraham Hicks 10 minute meditation in the morning and it gets me pumped up for the day and I am able to actually listen to her voice without too much other brain noise taking over.

Hi,

There is a great app called Headspace which helps you you to meditate: talks you through how to focus on breathing and put aside certain thoughts. Keep trying and eventually you'll get used to focusing on your meditation

When it comes to winding down for bed a meditation 🧘‍♀️ ritual is an incredible resource to have. My advice is try listening to a guided meditation. This will increase your ability to stay focused on the task at hand. Good Luck.

First, good job for trying to meditate! Meditation is good to relax the body and the mind. Here some advices. You can start by focusing on the sounds around you. Then, on a second time, focus on your body, on how you feel head to toes. Afterwards, focus on your breath. Count your breath one by one, 1 to 10. At ten, start again at 1. If thoughts come along, let them come and go, and focus back on your breaths.
Good luck 🙂

Try focusing on your breathing, or supplement that focus with imagery that helps your breathing. What color is your inhale, what color is your exhale? Imagine those colors circulating in your body. Also, try meditating somewhere else – not in bed. When you are distracted by external thoughts, gently nudge them away and focus on your next breath.

What helps me focus is rain noises. Find some sort of noise that will help you focus better. That is what helps me a lot.

For a first timer, it would be difficult but if you try to slow down the thoughts and direct your awareness through your eyes and then to your breath you would the feeling of the present moment. Once you notice that feeling then you are doing it 👉 😉

I find that counting while meditating helps me to regain my focus. I'll either count each breath that I take, or I'll slowly count up while I inhale and again while I exhale. Another thing that sometimes helps me is to use a guided meditation. The guide voice helps to interrupt my thoughts and reminds me to return my focus to my breath. I hope this helps.

I practice TM when it comes to meditation techniques, and it requires two, 20 minute sessions a day! When I struggle focusing due to internal thoughts, I just let them come. Don't try and force yourself to concentrate. Let the thought come, drift away, and continue your mantra. I like to think of my thoughts as bubbles drifting to the surface as I dive deeper into a meditative state.

Have yourself comfortable in a room with nothing to distract you(notifications) keep your thoughts away from what happened during the day and focus on meditating.

I am having problems too so I'm going to create a little space in a corner that is just for mediating, maybe put up a drape to hide inside and find a comfy cushion to sit on.

First thing is that we should not be anxious or stressed about lack of concentration. Just accept the reality of this moment without any feeling of defeat. Mind will automatically get focussed again. Then sitting down with strong determination also help. Invest initial few seconds/minutes on calming the mind.

I find it is most helpful when my mind is wondering to count the breathes. One. Two. One. Two. It gives a focus that is very easy to return to every time, even if my mind wanders many times in a session.

Its natural for your mind to wonder during meditation, especially when "there is a lot on your mind".

Exercising at the end of the day will help balance body and mind. I find I exhaust my thoughts while exercising so that there is less to ponder on.

Running/walking works well.

One thing I would recommend if you are not already doing this is to have a dedicated place other than your bed to meditate. The problem with meditating in bed is getting distracted because you are doing conflicting things, active meditating and passive resting, in which the mind tends to wander.

Tips for regaining focus while meditating that have worked for me is (1) do short meditations – about 5 minutes – a few times a day instead of one long session, (2) develop a mantra ("Peace, be still" is mine) to recite while meditating, especially when your mind starts to wander, and (3) be kind to yourself when you you find your focus drifting because we all struggle from time to time.

I hope this helps! Take care and happy meditating 😊

I usually clear my mind before i start to meditate, by writing down whats racing through my mind, and then burning that piece of paper. Thus fully relaxing my mind and helping me focus. Hope that helps.

I do one of two things, pick a shorter meditation -even one minute is better than zero- or focus on what I'm listening to for the guided meditation.

Practice make man perfect. Daily practice for meditation will help you figure out how to have peace and you would not distracted by thought. Excersicing in morning and having good healthy diet are always source of good energy. While distracted by illogical thought means that you focus on unnecessary stuff in your life so it's better to set some pirorties and goal in your life so you become less distracted. Most important live in the present moment and enjoy your surroundings and people

As someone who's been meditating for a few years, I have to say that sometimes it's just like that! Some days you're more tired or stressed etc. But focusing on those things makes it even harder to meditate. There's a good feeling from meditation that I think we all put as a marker for a "successful" meditation session, but the truth is that we still receive the benifits of meditation even of we don't always get that fuzzy feeling. My advice is to keep going even if it seems pointless or you're not doing it right. Doing it at all is good enough 😊

Firstly what is your psychophysical state? How do you feel when you are starting your meditation session? Maybe you are not ready to take it seriously and with devotion? Are you able to focus one each and every breath you are taking during meditation session? Please answer on those questions before your approach next meditation session. Please be patient and work on your meditation habit. I can promise you, it's worth every moment. It's amazing state but you need to teach your mind to enter it. Good luck!