Every time the mind wanders away from the awareness of the breath, notice that it has wandered and bring your awareness back to the breath. This can be likened to a rep in the gym—every time you bring your mind back, you are building your "muscle" of attention.

If your mind wanders, all that means is that you’re alive and your brain is functioning normally, which is great news!

Your mind wanders, you bring it back. This is the exercise—and the practice—of meditation.

Thoughts are the input and output of the mental process. Making thoughts is what the brain is built for—like the heart beats, the mind thinks.

Be aware that the concept of meditation is to shift your focus to the awareness of the thinking process, rather than the content of the thoughts.

Achieving the advanced state of no-thought is not about stopping the thinking process, but rather, it’s about cultivating an expansive sensitivity to a level above the thinking mind.

Count on your beginner's mind to help you through any times when you might feel resistant or self-conscious about your practice.

A beginner’s mind allows you to remain flexible and open, even as you encounter new things that may seem strange or even uncomfortable at first.

A beginner’s mind allows you to remain flexible and open, even as you encounter new things that may seem strange or even uncomfortable at first. It also allows you to experience something mundane from an entirely new perspective, whereas an expert might approach something believing they “already get it.