Meditation Is Not About “Emptying The Mind”
Meditation is not about emptying the mind. It is about bringing it back to focus.
Whenever the concept of meditation comes up, people often instantly think of the cliché beaded and bearded guru sitting in lotus pose atop a mountain, with a mind devoid of thought.
They have heard the benefits and see it rising in popularity amongst business executives, actors and sports people, so they figure that they will try this “mindfulness meditation stuff”.
But when you start, you will soon realise that meditation is not about emptying the mind! When people first start, almost the instant they first sit down and start to focus on their breath they are hit with a plethora of thoughts, feelings, emotions and impulses coming in rapid succession. Overwhelmed, they remember that their goal is to “clear their mind”, which even for experienced meditators is practically impossible, and really not the goal of the meditation session.
The bombardment of mental phenomena can cause distress and annoyance and thus leads to the new meditator dropping the practice before they have really begun. But please don’t do this! It is important to understand that the goal of meditation is not about emptying the mind. The real act of mindfulness meditation comes from bringing the attention back to your focus (on the breath).
In a Joe Rogan Experience podcast episode (#940), Dan Harris and Sam Harris both bestselling authors and long-time meditators equated the returning of focus to being like a “bicep curl for the mind”: each time you bring the attention back, you are doing meditation. With practice, your mind will clear, but this will almost be a symptom of the meditation, not the goal.
This concept is liberating as no longer is the aspiring meditator upset at the ruminations of the monkey mind, rather they can be content that they are meditating correctly when they notice it happening; and subsequently return their focus to their breath.
5 Min Mindfulness Meditation
Try this simple 5 min mindfulness meditation:
1) Set a timer for five minutes.
2) Sit in a comfortable position, with eyes slightly open loosely focusing on something in front of you. (I prefer this position as with eyes closed/laying down, there is a risk of falling asleep)
3) Focus on the sensation of your breath entering and leaving your nose.
4) For the duration of the session, when your thoughts waver, gently bring attention back to the sensation of your breath.
5) Repeat daily, increasing the session duration slowly.
Personally I have found tremendous benefits from a daily 5 min mindfulness meditation practice. I grew up in a fairly tumultuous household and faced significant levels of trauma and abuse growing up. Meditation has helped me to come to terms with my past, as well as to deal with the mental health afflictions that such a childhood leaves you with. It was so good to learn that meditation is not about emptying the mind, it is more about learning to focus and allowing room and creating space for my thoughts and feelings, and learn not to be so automatically reactive.
Specifically, mindfulness has helped me to identify and better deal with anxious and depressive thought patterns that (prior to meditating) significantly impacted my emotional states. In the past, I was a slave to my mental phenomena. Whey they arose, I would be unwillingly taken on an emotional journey. The ruminations of my mind were leading me, dictating how I was going to feel and how I would subsequently act. There was no break or “check” between my thoughts, emotions and actions.
However, meditation has given me the skills to not be such a slave to my mental phenomena. I can now better observe them, without getting caught up in them. They have less power over me.
This blog post was inspired by the book Mindfulness In Plain English ~ Out of the 100 plus meditation books that I have read, this book stands out for a reason. There is no confusing jargon, questionable spiritualism or outlandish claims - just real advice on how to mediate. If you are into meditation or are curious about starting, this is a must read.
The Difference Between Mindfulness and Meditation
I feel like we need to clarify some terms and the difference between mindfulness and meditation, as sometimes these terms are used interchangeably, but it is good to keep in mind what they each mean. Meditation is a broad umbrella term for many different practices, while mindfulness meditation is just one type within that larger category.
The word “meditation” describes a whole field of methods designed to focus attention, quiet the mind, explore consciousness, or connect with something deeper. It can include a wide range of techniques such as mindfulness, mantra repetition, breathwork, visualisation, loving-kindness (metta), transcendental meditation, contemplative prayer, body scans, chakra practices, sound-based meditation, and more. Each tradition uses different methods and has different goals, such as focus, relaxation, spiritual insight, emotional healing, or connection to the divine.
At its core, meditation involves intentionally directing your attention. That might look like focusing on your breath, repeating a mantra, visualising light, contemplating a sacred text, scanning your body, listening to sounds, or sitting in silence. Because it’s such a wide category, meditation can be secular, spiritual, religious, embodied, or purely psychological. But all forms share one thing: they help you shift from automatic living to conscious presence, creating space between your thoughts and your awareness so you can experience greater calm and inner freedom.
Mindfulness Meditation, on the other hand, is specifically about paying attention to the present moment with curiosity and without judgment. It emphasises awareness of thoughts, sensations, and emotions as they arise, rather than trying to change or suppress them. It usually involves focusing on something simple, like the breath, bodily sensations, or sounds, and gently bringing your awareness back whenever your mind wanders. Instead of trying to stop thoughts or achieve a particular state, mindfulness meditation teaches you to observe your inner experience as it is. This practice can also be called Mindful Breathing, as most commonly the practice involves focusing on the breath coming in and out of the nose.
It is about learning to notice rather than react. When you practice mindful awareness, you become more familiar with your thoughts and feelings. This creates space between you and your automatic reactions, helping you respond to life with more clarity and compassion. Over time, mindfulness meditation can reduce stress, improve emotional regulation, strengthen attention, and offer a deeper sense of calm and groundedness.
So while all mindfulness meditation is meditation, not all meditation is mindfulness. Mindfulness meditation sits inside the broader family of meditative practices, with its own distinctive focus on gentle, non-reactive awareness, and it specifically helps you bring presence and mindfulness into your daily life.
However, when people say the word “meditation”, they are often referring to Mindfulness Meditation, as it has become in a way the most popular form in our day and age. In general when I say or write the word meditation, I am talking about mindfulness practice. However, it is good to keep in mind, that sometimes when people say the word meditation, they might be talking about any number of practices from any number of cultures, so it is good to follow up and ask them more about what type of meditation they mean. Also, some people like to practice mindfulness without meditation:
How to Practice Mindfulness Without Meditation
Mindfulness doesn’t always require sitting still or a structured practice, so I thought I would touch on how to practice mindfulness without meditation. You can cultivate presence simply by paying attention to the ordinary moments of your day. Start by tuning into your senses, notice the warmth of the shower, the sound of birds outside, or the way your breath feels as you move through a room. Bring awareness to your routines: the ritual of making coffee, the rhythm of walking, or the feeling of water on your hands while washing dishes. These everyday activities become grounding when you slow down enough to actually experience them, rather than rushing through on autopilot.
You can also learn how to practice mindfulness without meditation through connection and movement. Try mindful listening in conversations by giving someone your full attention without planning your response. Use gentle movement, stretching, yoga, or a quiet walk, as a way to reconnect with your body. Even tasks like gardening, cooking, or organising a room can become anchors of awareness when you focus on sensation and intention. The beauty of mindfulness is that it doesn’t demand perfection or long meditation sessions; it asks only for small moments of presence, repeated throughout your day, to bring you back to yourself.
Structured meditations sessions are like the practice session for bringing mindfulness into your daily life: at the end of the day the goal is to be able to be mindful and present in your daily life. If you feel more comfortable practicing being mindful in small moments, without a structured practice, and you choose to practice mindfulness without meditation, that is okay! But if you feel that it is difficult for you to access the presence you are looking for, try structured meditation, and give it a few months, and while it can be tricky, don’t stop trying and you will find yourself more mindful over time.
Read next:
Meditation - The Single Best Thing You Can Do For Your Mental State Every Day
How To Know If You Are Meditating Correctly
Explore some guided meditations I have made here for free
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