That's what works for me. It's not at all involved, just concentrate on breathing. When the mind wanders, just pause & (non-judgmentally) go back to observing the breath.
Of course YMMV, but I find half an hour a day is enough.
That is the case, and that is the point. It is very hard, in fact impossible to do for more than a few seconds without practice. Which is the problem you are solving by practicing. If you can make yourself just sit there, not scolding yourself as you drift, but always returning to silence and the breath, you can go longer and longer without thinking.
Its just like physical exercise - repetition makes you better. And just like physical exercise, it makes your entire life better.
I think I read somewhere in the book that concentration isn't all that important (& in fact you don't want to develop it too far). You're mostly trying to observe yourself lightly, & to catch yourself.
I've had phenomenal experience with isha yoga's Inner Engineering. It is basically a daily 21 minute practice, that they thought me in a 7-day program. The practices are very simple (no strenuous postures etc). Since i started in Dec 2007, i haven't skipped a single day - the benefits are great enough that coming back to do the practice daily happens naturally.
Now it is also being offered online at www.innerengineering.com.
Above all, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, the person behind all of this, is the coolest, most awesome spiritual master i've come across.
That's what works for me. It's not at all involved, just concentrate on breathing. When the mind wanders, just pause & (non-judgmentally) go back to observing the breath.
Of course YMMV, but I find half an hour a day is enough.