Did you notice how busy your mind was even without consciously directing it to think about anything in particular?

The purpose of this exercise is to have you try meditation and then write about your experience.
Find a place where you can be alone and it is quiet. The first thing to clarify: What we’re doing here is aiming for mindfulness, not some process that magically wipes your mind clear of the countless and endless thoughts that erupt and ping constantly in our brains. We’re just practicing bringing our attention to our breath, and then back to the breath when we notice our attention has wandered.
Get comfortable and prepare to sit still for a few minutes. After you stop reading this, you’re going to simply focus on your own natural inhaling and exhaling of breath.
Focus on your breath. Where do you feel your breath most? In your belly? In your nose? Try to keep your attention on your inhale and exhale.
Follow your breath for two minutes. Take a deep inhale, expanding your belly, and then exhale slowly, elongating the out-breath as your belly contracts.
Welcome back. What happened? How long was it before your mind wandered away from your breath? Did you notice how busy your mind was even without consciously directing it to think about anything in particular? Did you notice yourself getting caught up in thoughts before you came back to reading this? We often have little narratives running in our minds that we didn’t choose to put there, like: “Why DOES my boss want to meet with me tomorrow?” “I should have gone to the gym yesterday.” “I’ve got to pay some bills” or (the classic) “I don’t have time to sit still, I’ve got stuff to do.”
Do this a few different times, for up to 10 minutes.
Once you complete this write a one-page essay on what the meditating experience was like; was it easy? hard? what were the distractions? Have you done this before? If so, did you get better? If this was the first time, how did you feel? Were you more relaxed and calm after meditating? Did you sleep any better that night? Are you any more likely to try it again? Share your experiences.