2. Comfortably sit down, hands in your lap, keep the back straight.
3. Don't tense up. Breathe normally with eyes closed.
4. Be aware of the moment inhaling starts. (Important)
5. Be aware of the moment exhaling ends. (Important)
6. When you start thinking, mentally take note: "I'm thinking."
7. Refocus on breathing. (4 and 5)
8. When you get distracted by a sound, an itch, a cramp or smell, mentally take note: "I'm hearing, I have an itch, etc."
9. Refocus on breathing.
That's it. With time, your trained mind will naturally stop producing random thoughts and your day to day mindfulness will steadily increase.
Some tips:
- For beginners, counting inhale and exhale moments makes it easier. (1-inhale, exhale-1; 2-inhale exhale-2; etc) Stop at 7, restart from 1.
- If sitting meditation is too difficult at first, start with walking meditation. Instead of focusing on breathing, be aware of your stepping (left, right, left, right, etc.) Then sit and focus on breathing.
- Read up on Zazen.