In this meditation for beginners, we begin by bringing awareness to the body before settling our attention with the breath. For some people, using the breath to anchor the attention can actually have the opposite effect and produce anxiety rather than feel calming. If it’s difficult for you to be with the breath, you can always anchor your attention on awareness in the body instead: sensations in the feet or hands, or maybe the pressure of the seat or floor against your sit bones. See what works best for you. And remember: if your mind feels busy—even extremely busy—this is very normal, especially for someone new to meditation. Let me know how your experience was in the comments!

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