i'd like to share a meditation exercise that i have found helpful in taming those stray thoughts that pop up during meditation. This is not a meditation method as much as it is a way to practice to improve your meditations.

First off, i read this somewhere years ago and i regret that i do not recall where and so cannot give that person the credit for this method that i found really helpful.

The method:

Set a timer on your phone for 1-minute after which a gentle sound like a gong or bell plays. Then, as a mantra, just start repeating the number "one". As soon as a stray thought pops into your mind, increase the number to "two".

For example: "One...one...one...i need to get my oil changed, oops, two...two...two, did i set the timer correctly, oops, three...three...three, etc."

Notice the number that you're on when the timer goes off. The average person will reach 8 at the end of a minute. Keep practicing until you can go an entire minute ending with "one" (it can take weeks of practice). Then increase the timer to two minutes.

The nice thing about this practice is that you can do it multiple times a day, it only takes a minute, you can do it anywhere with your phone and earbuds, and you can track your progress.

Practice like this and your regular daily meditation sessions will be much freer from mind chatter.