Begin by letting go of the idea that meditation means having no thoughts. If you wait for the mind to become silent before you meditate, you may wait forever. The practice begins precisely where you are: with a mind that remembers, plans, comments and wanders.

Sit in a position you can maintain without unnecessary struggle and choose one simple anchor, such as the natural breath. Stay interested in the direct sensation of breathing. Eventually you will discover that you have been thinking about something else. That moment is not failure; it is awareness returning. Gently come back to the breath and repeat the process.

With practice, you may discover small spaces in which you are no longer following every movement of thought. Yoga describes progressively deeper forms of concentration and meditation, but they are not produced by force. We cultivate the conditions — steadiness of body, refinement of breath, continuity of attention — and allow stillness to reveal itself.