Your Mind Wandered During Chanting. Excellent.

You sat down to chant.

Three repetitions later you were thinking about dinner.

Then an old argument.

Then whether penguins have knees.

Then dinner again.

This can feel like failed concentration.

But repetition practices such as japa also give attention somewhere specific to return to.

The wandering is not especially surprising.

The return is the interesting bit.

Bead.

Phrase.

Breath.

Return.

And if the mind wanders again?

Congratulations.

You have been given another repetition of the actual exercise.

No spiritual performance review required.