You want to start meditating, but every time you try, your mind goes crazy.
You sit down with good intentions, close your eyes, and immediately your brain starts planning dinner, replaying yesterday's awkward conversation, and reminding you about seventeen things you forgot to do. After three minutes of mental chaos, you give up and decide meditation "isn't for you."
Here's what nobody tells beginners: that mental chatter isn't a sign you're bad at meditation. It's a sign you're human.
Today's episode is specifically for people who think they can't meditate.
I'm not going to teach you to empty your mind or achieve some blissful state. Instead, you'll learn the most important skill in meditation: noticing when your attention wanders and gently bringing it back.
That's it. That's the whole practice.
What You'll Learn in This Episode:
The "Three A's" Framework: Arrive (settling in), Attend (choosing focus), and Allow (letting whatever happens happen)
Why your wandering mind isn't a problem — it's actually the point where meditation begins
An 8-minute guided practice you can do in any chair, no special equipment needed
Your first weekly challenge: 5 minutes a day using exactly what we practice together
The Truth About Meditation
Meditation isn't about becoming calm and peaceful all the time. It's about developing a friendly relationship with your own attention.
Some days you'll feel centered and focused. Other days your mind will feel like a browser with 47 tabs open. Both experiences are perfectly normal and equally valuable.
The magic happens in those moments when you notice "Oh, I was thinking about lunch" and gently return to your breath. Each time you notice and return, you're strengthening your capacity for presence.
It's like doing bicep curls for your awareness.
Why Start with Sitting?
Everything else we'll explore in this podcast — mindful walking, conscious work, presence in relationships — grows from this basic skill of noticing what's actually happening right now.
Think of sitting practice as learning to open the blinds. The sunlight of awareness is always there, but we need to learn how to let it in.
Try the 5-minute daily practice for one week. Don't worry about doing it perfectly — there is no perfect. Just show up each day and practice the gentle art of returning your attention to the present moment.
Questions? Insights? Challenges? Share them in the comments below. I read every response and often feature listener experiences in future episodes.
New to Sit, Walk, Work? This "Start Here" series gives you everything you need to build a sustainable mindfulness practice. Episode 2 (Walking) and Episode 3 (Working) drop next week.
Already practicing? Share this episode with someone who's been curious about meditation but doesn't know where to begin.
Mindfulness at work. Want the 5-Minute Workplace Mindfulness Toolkit? It's free for all subscribers —
What's your biggest obstacle to starting a meditation practice? Drop a comment and I'll address it in a future episode.
