What do other people focus on when they meditate?

I think they usually focus on breathing and trying to clear their mind beacause if we control our breathing while meditating itt could be useful

I’m an absolute beginner so right now all I focus on is my breath and sometimes the sensations in my body or the sounds, smells and other things in the environment around me.

I focus on my breath or my belly. When a thought arises, back to my breath – start over. Sometimes repeat “rising, falling” (my belly). It’s really that simple. Sam Harris’s Waking Up course is truly excellent.

I don’t know nor have a way of knowing what others focus on when they meditate unless they tell me. Presumably some focus on their breath or a them or a mental image, and presumably that is not a monolithic experience, since the mind wanders no matter how long one has meditated.

I really focus on trying to be thankful of want is surrounding me like my family, and things I honestly need and don’t need

I use the app smiling mind which has helped me learn what to focus on during meditation, for example, the sounds around me, the way my body moves when I breathe, etc!

On the rise and fall of the belly. Just observe your breath and even count them. Focus on the breathing and stay in the now

Any single sensation is good to 'rest the mind on'. Usually, that is the breath for me, but if, for example, you have some pain that would keep distracting you from your breath, you can focus on the pain instead. 🙂

I live in a quiet neighborhood, I love to listen to sounds… as I get quiet at night, a twig squeaking up against the roof… sometimes I hear an owl.. the distant traffic, a siren.

I focus on what questions I am seeking answers to. Not looking for the answe to be given but as how the answer may already be there and I wasn't listening.

Tricky question! I struggle with my mind wandering around and get easily distracted by noises. When this happens, I focus back on my breathing and on relaxing tensed muscles.

Mostly I just zone out, concentrating on my breathing. Otherwise I let my mind wander around thinking lightly about all the things, relationships and opportunities that I have been blessed with.

I like to use my breath, just observe it. Sometimes I need to add a visual then I imagine a bar filling and emptying with the rise a fall of my chest.

I work on feeling the now! I try to focus on how I feel at the very moment when I’m meditating. Not what happened earlier and not what I need to do! But my feeling right now. If they are not positive thoughts I focus on raising my vibration!

For me, it depends. Sometimes I meditate using affirmations. Sometimes I meditate by using guided visualizations. Sometimes I just focus on my breathing or the sounds in my environment (like my dog snoring!).
My favorite guided visualization is to progressively relax my body from head to toe guiding my thoughts to focus on each part of my body until I am completely relaxed.

When you start meditating you will be thinking about your current life situations will this meditation work many thoughts will hit you just accept them let them pass and focus

I think people are really focusing on themselves and how their feeling at that moment and a lot of the time become so focused on this one thing that they forget that their actually meditating.But even though their distracted their calm and collected.And from there they can bring themselves back their breathing of how their feeling

Maybe their breathing, their posture or some affirmations. I try to focus on my breathing and sometimes I use an affirmation 😊

I like to think about that old screen saver where it’s like sci-fi warp speed with all the stars streaming past. If you start thinking about something that means you’re holding onto a star and you have to let go and get back to just watching them go by. Another thing I think about sometimes is standing in front of a dark calm lake with a sky full of stars above it and anytime a thought comes and I catch myself worrying or planning it’s like a stone in my hand that I have to throw into the lake. Maybe it skips across or maybe it sinks all the way down. I imagine throwing the thought away from me into the lake and then the ripples eventually return to a calm surface.

I usually use a guided meditation set. Currently i am focusing on breath meditation, easy to perform and helps build focus for the day.

Try a guided meditation. I recommend either Headspace or Calm. They both have free trials so if you can download them to your phone and you can take them anywhere you go!

I try to focus on my breath and how I feel in the moment. I close my eyes and try to view myself as just a spectator that is in the back of my mind.

They try to focus on a color, shape and smell of a flower. Or they are torturing themselves to empty their mind which is quite impossible. Few realized that they should 'look' at thoughts as they come and go, not holding to any of them…

I sometimes focus on my breath, sometimes on the sounds in the room or outside. Sometime I focus on whatever sensations I can feel, whether they’re vague or specific. Sometimes I just let thoughts come and go, and focus on them when they appear. Very occasionally, I open my eyes and stare straight ahead, and focus on whatever colours and shapes I can see.

My mind wanders on things like what I still need to get done, what time I need to wake up the next day, did I complete my to do list, etc. I often have to bring myself back to my breath and let my wandering thoughts just pass on by.

For me I focus on my breathing and following my breath thru my whole body and then in my head I make a gratitude list. I go over all the things I am grateful for in my life today. During meditation I like to be as thankful as possible for all the gifts in my life.

I think they meditate on things that make them peaceful, tranquil, or take them into a desired realm of thought, or they might even concentrate or meditate in such a way as to cause them to enter a sort of state of not thinking about anything—a state of mindlessness thus making a conscious unconsciousness thereby relieving themselves of all tensions and worries for that period of suspension of thought.

I “listen” to my heart and mind. As I meditate I look for recurring themes and where they seem to point or point or lead me. Often in hindsight we recognize the pattern,answer or message right in front of that was right there all along.

I bought a Muse headband to get real-time feedback on my brain activity. It’s been great – I use the desert soundscape (the ocean waves were too similar to breath pattern but didn’t actually match so that one screwed me up.) There’s some meditation guidelines at the beginning and then as long as you’re calm the weather sounds are quiet as you hear chirping birds. When you lose focus and start thinking the weather gets louder as a reminder to refocus on your breath.

Is not simple at all to stay focused. I try to focus on my belly that grow in every breath I take, or at the nose when the air flow out. Sometimes I prefer to think that in every single breath I fill my body of golden liquid as light as the sun

For me it depends on the type of meditation. In a body scan: my breathing and body awareness. In other types: my mantra (say YES to me). Or my chakras. Or sending love and kindness into the world.

I focus on a subject of thought before I meditate, but when I actually mediate, I focus on nothing, but where I am and what my body is doing.

Well…. Other people is a very huge thing to think about. There are so many answers to this.
With meditation they may set an intention for money, love, jobs, and etc.

Or try different meditations

Or just meditate.