The best way I have found to date for quieting down my brain is not at all I expected it would be.  I was having lots of trouble “emptying” my mind, supposedly so I could meditate, but I never got that far.  To me, that task was so difficult that after several days, I was actually dreading it.  (Something tells me that’s NOT the way I am supposed to be feeling about my meditation time!)  Then, early one morning, purely by chance, I was flipping channels and accidentally stumbled upon a beautiful nature scene accompanied by soothing music.  At first I thought it must be one of those music channels that plays all day long like a radio.  But after a couple moments, a Bible verse displayed on the screen, then faded, then another nature scene, then another Bible verse, then another, then another song, and a different nature shot, and a different Bible verse,…  I looked at the guide and found that I was on the Daystar Network (a Christian channel) and that I was watching a show called “Reflections.”  I put the program back on and soon discovered that this show didn’t even show any commercials for a solid half-hour!  Since I had been struggling to work up to 10 minutes with my mind-emptying technique, I told myself that I would just watch this show for 10 minutes and see what happened.  I lay down on the couch, took a few deep breaths, and then just naturally seemed to focus on each of the different aspects of what I was watching – – first the music, then the scenery, then the Bible words, then the meaning of those words, then I’ d start over, without even thinking about it.  Before I knew it, the show was over!  I had done an entire half-hour without even realizing it!  Now I try to do it every day.  “Reflections” actually comes on several times daily, so I usually manage to get-in at least one half-hour session per day.  (There have even been a few times when I actually did two in a row!)  I have since spoken with many people in program who have explained to me that this is a legitimate form of meditation – just a different type than the clearing-my-mind thing.  The reason this works so well for me is that it doesn’t completely empty my mind, but rather, it re-focuses it on positive, calming things.  So for that 30 or 60 minutes of my day, I am completely absorbed in sights, sounds, and ideas that give me the much-needed feeling of peace and contentment that we all need to get our day moving in the right direct.  So give it a try!  You just may find that you like it!  And more importantly, that you CAN do it!