The easiest way to start a meditation practice is to firstly not care too much about all the different methods, Clayton. It can be fun to explore them, but in my experience, they all help you “control” your mind, reduce anxiety and be present in the moment. A huge mistake beginners make is to get caught up in techniques and the “idea” of meditating. So why not choose the simplest route? Here’s what I’d suggest.

Take a seat. Place your hands on your belly. Feel how it inflates and deflates as you breathe. Let your thoughts and emotions float by, intensify and disappear on their own.

That’s it. To control your mind, you must let go of control.

To kickstart your practice, it’s best to set a small daily goal: meditate for 5 minutes per day. Then add more minutes if/when you feel like it.

However, you can benefit even more from meditation’s amazing effects by (eventually) making every moment of your life a meditation. All it takes is to become alert to your thoughts as you go about your day.