This is the first meditation in the book Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, coauthored by Dan Harris and Carlye Adler. This and the dozen or so other meditations can be found – with video and extra stuff – on the 10% Happier app.
Concentration is the foundational skill of meditation. It stabilizes the mind, and eventually it can make things more peaceful inside. It’s only when we get a break from our endless mental churn of obsessions and exuberances that we realize how completely exhausting our so-called normal state can be. The mind may solve problems, but for many of us, it spends even more time finding and making problems! As the mind begins to settle, there are fewer problems. Sometimes it really is that simple.