Meditation is not just a relaxation thing. It is a powerful experience, done without mental effort. It is not a way to relax the body, but to relax the mind, and to help you achieve that, you should also relax your body. Some are new to meditation, some are new to spirituality, and it is easy to say light things about meditation. If millions of Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists, Shamans,... do it, maybe there is something more in that. Some traditions have thousands of years of experience in meditation.

The difficulty in meditation is not to get your mind to stop. You can't force your mind to stop. The hardest thing is to not embark in a fantasy when your mind throws one at you. To help you meditate, you can use a mantra. In meditation, it is good to use a single word, instead of a long multi-word mantra. By repeating the single word, not only is your mind easier to focus, but it will summon from within a type of experience that corresponds to the mantra's higher signification. Then, it is easier not to go along with the fantasies your mind throws at you, when you want to focus on a single, simple concept. It takes time and practice, and eventually, the mind will relax, and stop bothering you while you meditate. There might still be ripples in your thoughts, but never as strong as the fantasies that want to take you out of meditation.

If you take the simple mantra "Swasthya", you will feel, in only a few meditations, that there is something more inside you. Swasthya is a Sanskrit word that encloses a complete thought, sounds like "i am self-contained, my soul provides for all my mental and emotional needs, making me into an autonomous being". Just repeat Swasthya every few seconds, and pay attention inside you. Do this 10 minutes at a time, then 20, then 30, when you can. This mantra helps to relieve mental and emotional dependency. Whatever you seek outside, find it inside, thru peaceful contemplation.

If you take a word like "Buddha", the effect will show only after a great deal of time, although the effect will be more powerful, and more mystical. A word such as "Agni" would make you more radiant. "Prithivi" to make you more stable, and regenerate your magnetic field. There are tons of these single-word mantras, each for their own purpose. But Swasthya is the one I recommend to all beginners. You should not have any kind of music or entertainment for your mind. Meditation is done in silence, or else, it is only relaxation. Your mantra and your philosophical contemplation should be enough.