Are You Supposed To Think While Meditating? Tips To Find Calm and Focus
To think, or not to think, that is the question.
When it comes to meditating, some people wonder: what should I be thinking about when meditating? is a mindful practice, but practicing doesn’t always involve the mind’s direct participation.
Can you still get the full benefits of meditation even if you’re actively thinking? How do you stop your mind from wandering while meditating? What should you focus on instead?
In this article, we’ll answer these questions and more. You’ll learn what it truly means to meditate, how your brain responds, and discover techniques to quiet your mind, find inner peace, and know what to think about when meditating.
Table of Contents
Is It Normal To Think While Meditating?
Whether you are a novice or amateur meditator, it is normal for thoughts to wander into your mind every once in a while. You might wonder, are you supposed to think while meditating? The answer is yes, it’s only natural that curiosity sometimes interrupts your meditations. This is not a mistake; noticing that your mind is thinking is actually part of becoming mindful. In classes, we call this your “observer mind,” an important element of mastering your brain power.
The goal of meditation is to feel present. It’s a chance for your mind to communicate with your body. Thinking while meditating can distract from this body-to-self conversation, but it can also give you an opportunity to gently guide your attention back to your breath, your body, here and now. Over time, those moments of distraction will become shorter, and your ability to settle into calm, focused awareness will grow.
Are You Supposed to Have No Thoughts While Meditating?
The essence of meditation is about being present, not thinking. While introspection uses your mind to process thoughts, meditation is about experiencing yourself through your body and senses.
It can be difficult to quiet your thoughts; after all, thinking is part of being human. But meditation allows you to observe your thoughts without attachment, gently letting them pass while focusing on sensations, breath, or presence. You can’t think your way through feeling. Meditation is about letting go of distractions, mental or physical, to simply be.
This is why we close our eyes when meditating: to filter out external stimuli and turn inward. Even if thoughts arise, noticing them and returning your attention to the present moment is itself a mindful practice.
How Focusing on Your Breath Can Help You Calm Your Mind
Breathing is central to life and, in meditation, it bridges your mind and body. Your. Rapid, shallow breaths can lower carbon dioxide levels, and blood pressure, and trigger anxiety or stress.
Slower, relaxed breathing supplies more oxygen to your blood, which can:
- Slow your heart rate
- Lower blood pressure
- Promote calmness
Studies show helps regulate the nervous system and neural networks tied to emotion, attention, and awareness. This can improve:
- Emotional responses to stress
- Self-awareness
By focusing on the slow motions of your breath, inhaling and exhaling, you can enter a state of relaxation, inner peace, and mindful presence.
Body & Brain Yoga Tai Chi can help you enhance physical, mental, and spiritual wellness through Korean-style yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong, breathwork and meditation, available or .
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What Happens in Your Brain When You Slow Your Breaths for Meditation?
Meditation is about changing the “channel” of your mind. Like radios tuning into different frequencies, our brain operates at rhythms based on what we are thinking, feeling, and doing.
These rhythms, called , reflect our mental state. During active thought, the brain oscillates in beta waves (12.5–30 Hz). In a relaxed state, the brain shifts to 8–12 Hz, known as the alpha rhythm.
The long-term may include:
- Enhanced creativity
- Reduced feelings of depression and anxiety
- Reduced perception of pain in chronic sufferers
3 Breathing Techniques to Help You Focus Before or During Meditation
Breathwork techniques can activate the , the part of the brain responsible for resting, resetting, and relaxing.
For beginners, focusing on your breath may feel unusual, since breathing is normally automatic. Fortunately, there are exercises that combine breathing and visualization to slow your breath and quiet your thoughts during meditation. You might also benefit from breathwork before meditation, to release busy thinking and calm your mind.
With practice, you can eventually meditate naturally with controlled breathing and a calm mind, without needing to think about it.
Here are two examples of basic breathing techniques often practiced in Body & Brain Yoga Tai Chi classes to enhance internal focus before meditation:
If you find that anxious thinking or emotions make it very hard to meditate, try this breathwork with visualization to bring yourself home to your body:
Breathwork offers specific benefits to support focus, relaxation, and mindful awareness; you can choose the one that works best for you.
4 Techniques To Focus on Feeling While Meditating
#1: Setting the Scene
The brilliant thing about practicing mindfulness through meditation is that once you have it down, you can meditate practically anywhere. But until you can quiet your thoughts, it helps to set the scene for your intentions.
Pick a space that is quiet, comfortable, and perhaps private, somewhere you associate with peacefulness. A quiet corner in your home works well as a dedicated meditation spot, but you can also choose a garden, park, or a spot near running water. The goal is to create a mental and physical space that helps you turn off distractions and focus on feeling rather than thinking.
Some people find meditation easier with a guiding voice. Body & Brain Yoga Tai Chi instructors can help you cultivate inner peace and mindfulness. You may want to schedule a private introductory session, and ask your instructor to:
- Check your current energy (Qi);
- Guide you through breathing techniques;
- Provide one-on-one meditative instruction.
#2: Focusing on Your Body
Focus directly on your body and the physical sensations you are feeling. Delineate what each part of your body feels like starting from the top and moving down.
From the top of your head to the tip of your toes, turn your focus on each part of the body. Try relaxing each part as you move along:
#3: Focusing on a Feeling
Use your meditation intention to choose a feeling to focus on. Positive feelings include:
- Gratitude
- Compassion
- Forgiveness
- Healing
- Joy
Focus on how this feeling moves through your body as you inhale and exhale, imagining it as energy that flows with each breath.
Another way to focus on a feeling is through your senses. Many Body & Brain Yoga Tai Chi classes include an easy-to-learn meditation called jigam, which helps quiet thinking and emotions. Try it with this video:
To try guided jigam meditation live in class, contact a Body & Brain Yoga Tai Chi near you and mention your interest when booking a private introductory session.
#4: Using a Mantra
Mantras are words or sounds you can repeat to ground yourself while meditating. They often include positive affirmations to calm worries and help you focus.
Sometimes mantras might feel like “cheating” because words are thoughts. But repeating a word so many times that it no longer sounds like a word allows you to focus on feeling rather than thinking.
At Body & Brain Yoga and Tai Chi, affirmations used as mantras include:
- My body is not me, it’s mine.
- I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you.
- I trust my healing.
- I love myself.
In East Asian tradition, sounds may be used instead of words to enhance focus on organs or chakra energy centers. Curious about your chakras? Body & Brain Yoga Tai Chi classes and workshops can help you balance your chakras to promote inner peace and wellness.
Connect to Yourself with Body & Brain Yoga Tai Chi Guided Meditation
So now that we’ve explored whether you are supposed to think while meditating, the benefits of breathing techniques, and tips to deepen your practice, we invite you to experience mindfulness in action.
Body & Brain Yoga Tai Chi instructors are your expert guides, ready to help you develop mindfulness and learn to enhance your physical, mental, and spiritual wellness.
Our classes blend Eastern practices to help you explore your inner self. Whether you want to practice yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong, breathwork or meditation, our 50-minute one-on-one introductory session is a great way to get started.
Book your first visit today and begin your journey toward calm, focus, and inner balance.
The content in this blog should not be used in place of direct medical advice/treatment and is solely for informational purposes.