Last January, I sat on a threadbare cushion in my studio apartment, set a timer for ten minutes, and had the most uncomfortable experience of my life. Not physically — it was the silence. My brain built an anxiety spreadsheet before the first minute was up.
The empty mind is a myth
Nobody tells you the goal isn't to stop thinking. That's like asking your heart to skip a beat. The practice is simpler and harder: you notice the drift, then choose to return. Again and again, without judgment. Every return is the exercise.
The wandering isn't failure — it's the actual work. The moment you notice you've drifted and choose to come back, that's awareness. That's the whole practice, happening in real time.