There is a a big concern for beginner meditators. It is unwanted thoughts. What should you do if you have many thoughts during meditation? Handling it the wrong way will sabotage your meditation, there is a way you should handle it, and a reason behind the way. This will be explained in detail. I am not an expert on meditation, but I am sharing what I have learned during my study on meditation from experts, and it might benefit you.
The number one mistake in meditation is trying to stop all thoughts. Some beginner meditators have many thoughts during meditation. After several weeks of trying to stop the thoughts they are unsuccessful. They think they failed at meditation. The beginner meditators gets discouraged and stop their meditation practice.
Realize that you aren’t supposed to get rid of all your thoughts. The more you try to get rid of your thought during meditation the more it persists. Even expert Buddhist monks who have been meditating their entire lives have this problem. It is normal. Thoughts shouldn’t be seen as a failed meditation.
Thoughts are a part of meditation. You need a comparison point to know the moments your mind is still, known as the gab. You will drift back and forth between the gab and thought. You aren’t just meditating when your mind is in the gab. The moment you stop your thoughts, the moment you realize you are thinking, and the moment you bring your attention back to the object of your focus is all part of your meditation.
Now that I have explained in detail the answer to the question, “What should you do if you have so many thoughts during meditation?” how handing it the wrong way will sabotage your meditation, the way you should handle it, and the reason behind it you know what to do. Trying to stop your thoughts completely will sabotage your meditation. The more you resist thought the more it persists. The goal isn’t to try and stop the thoughts, but treat it like part of your meditation as a comparison point to know when you experience moments of stillness. Remember this when next you meditate or when you begin a meditation practice.