Meditation is the absence of thought.

And you can't force yourself to get it.

It happens without our intervention.

We can only train the mind to stay in the present so that it can manifest.

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The seventh branch of Yoga is meditation (dhyana), that is, the absence of thought. This condition arises, for most people, from training in constant concentration of the mind on a single object (ekagrata). Meditation is a condition that cannot be reached with an effort of will, it is rather a condition that occurs after a lot of preparation.

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What we have power over is training the mind to remain stable, giving it "objects" of concentration (dharana): with the practice of Ashtanga Yoga we use movement, drishti, counting, breathing, so as to be as as possible present and aware of what we are doing. As if we were a farmer who takes care of and prepares the soil so that the seed that will be planted there can germinate and grow, transforming into a plant. We prepare the ground by making the body strong and the mind stable, to remain seated in a correct position for a long time: without particular discomfort to the body or with a mind subject to frequent distractions.

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