Focus of Attention

There needs to be a focus. It can be on a visual point, an object, or on the breath.

If breath is your focus, you want to allow each breath to occur naturally. Inhale and feel the breath going in. When you exhale, feel the breath going out into the space around you. By following both the inward and outward breath, you are able to maintain a steady focus. After a few breaths, your focus will be on the breathing process, and awareness of outer circumstances will be greatly reduced.

What to Expect
The mind is incredibly busy with distracting thoughts. You may be astonished at how much activity there is. The thoughts at first seem random and scattered—they are "bouncing off the walls."
The mind moves into a state of one-way flow.

As you settle down, you find your thoughts take on a more consistent direction. There is an almost constant flow, but it goes in a general direction—more like a stream flowing downhill. There are a few rocks and a few bends, but the flow goes in one general direction.

After a while the thoughts do not distract you from the focus of your attention. This is a fairly high level of achievement. You may feel this for a few minutes and then revert back to the "busy-mind" stage or the "flowing" stage.

Still, you have glimpsed a state of peace in which you can be fully engaged in the meditation while acknowledging that thoughts are continuously occurring.

Eventually your mind will quiet as soon as you sit down, or within only a few moments. This is a result of practice and familiarity. You slip into a quiet, comfortable, familiar space and are able to remain there throughout your meditation.

Some days you will not come close to this mental state. This can be frustrating, as you expect consistent progress.

This intermittent interruption in your meditation represents its own kind of progress. As you extend your meditation practice, you will develop even greater compassion for your not-so-meditative days.
To understand this style of meditation, you need to continue until you get the experience of being able to calm the mind as soon as you begin the meditation. The simple act of altering your focus can place you in a slightly altered state of mind. Yet it is important not to expect or demand this relaxed state of yourself. Thus, you should go with whatever you get each time you meditate, while focusing on the object or the breath.

There ate two main obstacles to meditation, and there are ways to work with both of them.

1. You may experience a weak feeling, or even fall asleep. Such a state is unlikely to produce much benefit, yet it is what you are feeling, and can be accepted as part of you. To remedy sleepiness or weakness, raise your level of attention to the meditation—to how you are sitting, how you are breathing, how you perceive the object. Correct your posture by sitting a bit straighter or firmer. Look up at the sky or the ceiling. Flex a few muscles. If you won't disturb other people's meditation, get up and walk a bit, paying direct attention to how you move.
   You may also want to visualize the breath as containing white light. Imagine it spreading through your body as you inhale. As you exhale, your breath is white light that floats up and dissolves in space.
2. Excitement is another possible response. This can be caused by compelling thoughts that arise, or by distractions in the immediate environment. Either of these keep you from settling into the meditation. To alleviate excitement, try diverting your gaze a bit downward, or even closing your eyes for a few minutes. Relax your posture a bit, then straighten again. You may want to roll your shoulders to relax the muscles. Visualize that you exhale blue, indigo, or black light and imagine the darkness settling into the ground. Then breathe in the same color of light so that it pervades your body with calming darkness.

Remember, the key to meditation practice is to do some each day. 
Find a time that works for you, and try to sit down at that time. At first you may want to experiment to find a time that works for you consistently. You also will find that during the day you have moments when you can relax and meditate. You don't have to meditate at the same time each day, but you may find that you drift into a regular schedule without effort.