That depends very much on the school of meditation. It sounds like you're focusing on concentration practice. Mindfulness practice is toward the other side of

That depends very much on the school of meditation. It sounds like you're focusing on concentration practice. Mindfulness practice is toward the other side of the spectrum: The goal is not to suppress your own sensations or thoughts, but to be mindful of them and observe them in a detached manner. The best analogy I've come across is to sit at the side of the river and watch the boats go past, instead of jumping on them and racing down. But you're not trying to clear the river of boats. There's overlap, in that the finer control you want to have over your ability to be mindful of specific aspects of your thoughts, emotions, body etc., the more concentration you need to be able to muster to calm yourself enough.