“Just because you decide to still your body and observe your breath from moment to moment doesn’t mean that your thinking mind is going to co-operate. It doesn’t necessarily quiet down because you have decided to meditate. Quite the contrary.
What does happen as we intentionally pay attention to our breathing is that we realize pretty quickly that we are immersed in a seemingly never-ending stream of thoughts. Coming willy-nilly one after the other in rapid succession….it is just the way the mind is.
In order to build up continuity and momentum in the meditation practice, you will need to keep reminding yourself to come back to the breath over and over again, no matter what the mind is up to from one moment to the next.”