How to Stop Thinking During Meditation
The topic of thinking during meditation is something I cover quite a bit, but only because it’s a common question I hear from my students. People sit down to meditate, experience an active mind, and wonder if they are meditating correctly. We might even think of the cliche (and harmful, in my opinion) meditation instruction to “clear the mind.”
It’s a common myth that we even need to clear the mind in order to meditate. In some practices, like concentration meditation, we do focus our attention something like the breath. But even so, there’s no need to stop thinking. Trying to do so actually often causes more harm than good in our practice.
Do We Need to Stop Thinking to Meditate?
Dealing with the thinking mind is one of the biggest contributors to why meditation feels hard at first for many people. We imagine someone meditating in pure awareness, free from thoughts. But this is just not realistic! It is totally normal to think during meditation. The ears hear sounds, the eyes see sights, and the mind thinks thoughts. It’s natural and not something we’re called to prevent.
So, no, we don’t need to clear the mind to meditate. In fact, this idea tends to make people think they’re meditating incorrectly, bad at meditation, or not progressing. Instead of seeking to stop thoughts, the task is to change the relationship to thoughts. In other words, the thinking mind isn’t the problem in meditation, it’s how we react.
The Problem We Have With Thinking
We’ve had construction work being done on the lot next to our house for the past year. It’s loud, and they start fairly early in the morning. I meditate in the morning sometimes after they’ve started their work. I don’t resist the sound, try to push it away, or pretend the noise isn’t there. I accept it and focus on the reaction in the mind.
Thoughts are the same. Where is the real problem when it comes to the thinking mind? Is it that thoughts are present? Or is it that we think we know what meditation should feel like, and that’s a peace with no thoughts? In truth, the suffering comes from the reaction to thinking, not the thoughts themselves.
When we don’t know how to observe thoughts without judgement, we get pulled every which way by the thinking mind. Thoughts hook us in, the mind reacts continuously, and we suffer. The issue is one of our responses, not the actual experience itself. Where we can actually grow in our practice is in how we observe the thinking mind, not in controlling the amount of thoughts that arise.
What to Do with Thoughts
So what do we actually do with thoughts? We covered this in our Thursday Morning Meditation group in August 2026 a bit. I put the recording below with the meditation and talk from the group. But above all, it’s important to understand that the purpose of meditation is not to clear the mind or stop thinking! It’s to observe what is arising and get to know it.
Recognize Them
The first thing to do with thoughts is to recognize that the mind is thinking. Sometimes we get frustrated with the fact that the mind is thinking, but aren’t actually mindful of the thoughts. Recognize that there’s thinking happening, and what it feels like. Maybe you can even notice specific “flavors” of thoughts like planning, daydreaming, regret, etc.
This is something we can do both in and out of formal sitting meditation. It takes some training, like other meditation practices. But as we practice actually recognizing the thoughts and thinking mind, we begin to see them as any other object. Below is a short practice from my two minute mindfulness playlist looking at mindfulness of the mind.
Watch for Resistance
I am often reminding students who reach out for mindfulness coaching to check for resistance in the mind. It’s something I repeat constantly, as it’s something that’s helped me immensely. Resistance can feel like strong aversion, or just a subtle tension. But it serves as an indicator in our practice.
When the mind starts thinking (or won’t stop thinking), check in with the attitude in the mind. Is there resistance to this experience? When we have this tension in the mind, it creates tension with the thoughts. It’s a form of aversion, of resisting the thinking mind. Watch the quality of mind, especially when it comes to resisting the thinking mind. This is a practice in awareness of awareness that can be really useful.
Just Observe
As the resistance subsides, just observe the process of thinking! What are the thoughts doing? Look for the arising and passing of thoughts and how one thought may lead to another. Remember thoughts are not facts necessarily. Just observe them like you might observe a sound arising and passing.
There are so many aspects of the thinking mind we can tune into in any given moment. You might investigate the impermanent nature of thoughts, the feeling tone, any attachment or identification, the overall mental state, or the mind’s reaction to specific thoughts. Just observe, and learn about the process of thinking.
Be Kind
Finally, be kind to the mind when thoughts are arising. Our habit of pushing thoughts down or resisting them is simply not kind. Instead, respond with some loving-kindness toward the mind and thoughts. Meet the mind with gentleness and friendliness rather than aversion and resistance.
Loving-kindness is traditionally an antidote to ill-will and aversion in Buddhist teachings. When we have aversion toward the thinking mind, loving-kindness is a valuable tool to use. Below is a meditation from my 10 Minute Guided Meditations playlist on loving-kindness. I recommend incorporating this into your practice to cultivate the ability to more naturally respond to the mind with gentleness.
Concentration vs. Mindfulness
I do want to note that there is a difference between mindfulness and concentration meditation. Concentration meditation, or samatha, is the practice of collecting the attention onto a single object to cultivate a unified mind. This can be done through breath meditations like breath counting, or through something like loving-kindness practice.
Mindfulness meditation is more open, recognizing what is arising and passing. So far, we’ve spoken mainly about mindfulness meditation and working with thoughts. But there are many types of meditation and concentration practice may look a little different when it comes to thoughts.
When cultivating concentration, we aren’t called to recognize the content of thoughts or investigate them. Instead, you might simply note that the mind is thinking, and re-collect the awareness to place back on the object (such as the breath). With concentration meditation, the task still is not to push thoughts away or stop thinking. The task is to not follow them! They may still be there. We just don’t get carried away by them.
Working with an Active Mind
Sometimes we have a very active mind, or monkey mind. Whether it is during meditation or daily life, we can learn to work with overthinking. Here are a few tips I have for when the mind just keeps going and it feels difficult to find any stability.
Finding an Anchor
When the mind just doesn’t seem to stop, you might pause and find an anchor to give yourself a break. This could be the breath, the body, or sounds. Sometimes this little break from thinking can help us find some stability of mind. We shouldn’t jump too quickly to this; we have to watch out for aversion.
Resting with Awareness
Instead of trying to investigate individual thoughts that are racing past, you might step back into that awareness of awareness. Can you play the role of just the observer? This can be difficult in moments, but often if we can find simple awareness of the thinking it is much more peaceful. Try to take a step back. Just watch the state of awareness as the mind thinks.
Bringing Interest
You can also bring forth the quality of interest or curiosity. We may habitually judge thoughts as good or bad, right or wrong, etc. Let go of the judging or even indifference, and look at the thinking mind with some interest. What does it feel like to be thinking in this way? Where are these thoughts coming from? See if you can find some natural curiosity. This helps bring a more useful attitude and can help cultivate understanding.
Watching Effort
When thoughts arise, how much effort do you put forth? And how do you put this effort forth? We often try to force the mind to stop thinking or to concentrate. This straining causes tension, and can make the thoughts (or other experiences) feel stronger or move faster.
Try relaxing a little. Soften the body, and soften the mind. Maybe you can take a few deep breaths. Watch for the tension, and watch your effort. Just by relaxing our effort, we can dramatically change our experience of the thinking mind.
Moving
This is a tip I use for almost any difficult experience in meditation, including working with an active mind. This doesn’t help us to stop thinking during meditation, but it can help us get some energy out. There are many forms of moving meditation, and they often can help us modulate energy when we have too much or too little.
Walking meditation is one of my go-to practices as far as moving goes. You can practice walking meditation the same as seated meditation, just on the move. It can be a good way to get some energy moving in the body, change the stimulation we’re experiencing, and alter our experience with the thinking mind.
Patience
Finally, practice patience! We aren’t going to train the mind to relate to thoughts in a new way in one sitting period. Even if we do respond in a novel way, it often takes repetition to make it habit. Meditation can take a while to work, as I cover more here. Be patient with yourself. Let go of attachment to outcomes.
How Thinking Can Serve Us
I think it’s important to consider the other perspective. Mindfulness of thinking really serves us. We don’t need to stop thinking during meditation because it’s not a problem. It’s actually an opportunity to observe a key part of the human experience and gain deeper understanding.
An Opportunity to Observe
When the mind is thinking during meditation and you notice it, recognize it as an opportunity to observe! If we are to observe thinking and change our relationships to the thoughts, we need thoughts to work with. Thinking isn’t a problem; it’s actually the opportunity arising to observe thoughts and the mind.
Recognizing Patterns and Habits
As we observe thoughts, we get to know patterns of thinking and habits of the mind. For example, I notice loud and unexpected sounds activate my nervous system and the mind jumps to anger. This is a pattern and habit I know and have observed many times.
Over time, we get to know these patterns. We don’t need to necessarily expect an outcome or cling to something happening, but we also can be prepared. For example, when I hear a loud sound that surprises me, I don’t have to fish around to figure out what’s going on. The wisdom that comes from repeated observing recognizes the unpleasantness in the body and anger in the mind immediately.
Seeing Clearly
And finally, we grow to see the true nature of mind. We see the three characteristics in the mind, the mind as just nature, and the cause-and-effect happening. Thoughts give us a unique doorway into the nature of mind in a way other sense-doors don’t quite offer perhaps.
As we continue to observe thoughts and the state of mind, we really see it clearly. We understand the mind and human experience more clearly. We break down delusion, and no longer identify with the thoughts. Over time, it becomes easier and easier to just watch them arise and pass.
Building a Regular Practice
As I cover more in this post, regular practice is one of the best things we can do for the growth of mindfulness. With a regular meditation practice, we find continuity in our practice. We build depth, and find that mindfulness comes more naturally. I say it in nearly every post because it’s that important. A daily practice will make awareness, nonattachment, and clear observation much more easily accessible.
You can check out my Mindfulness for Beginners guide for some tips and resources, or read the post How to Start a Daily Meditation Practice for more specific thoughts. If you don’t have a meditation practice but are interested in starting one, I have just the program for you!
My Month of Mindfulness is a free 30-day program made specifically with beginners in mind. You receive a short (3-6 minute) meditation every day for a month. With the short meditations, daily practice becomes accessible. This makes it easier to build the habit and make it a regular part of your day! It also covers a variety of meditation practices and techniques to help you investigate various qualities.
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Matthew Sockolov is a Buddhist meditation teacher who trained at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. Completing the Dharma Leader training program in 2017, Matthew was given power to teach in the Insight Meditation tradition by Jack Kornfield, Kittisaro, Thanissara, and others. You can learn more about Matthew here.