My mind keeps wandering during meditation and japa — am I doing it wrong?

no — wandering is normal; noticing it and gently returning is the practice itself.

Even Arjuna told Kṛṣṇa that the mind is restless and as hard to control as the wind. Kṛṣṇa did not deny it; he answered that the mind is brought under control by abhyāsa (practice) and vairāgya (dispassion) — Bhagavad Gītā 6.34–35. Patañjali gives the same two keys in Yoga Sūtra 1.12.

So every time you notice the mind has drifted to work, food or worries, do not scold yourself. Simply return to the mantra, the breath or the form of the deity. Each return is one repetition of training, like lifting a weight.

Small aids help: chant softly aloud for a while before going silent, keep the mālā moving with the mantra, focus on the meaning of the words, or picture the deity’s face. Over months the gaps between wanderings grow longer by themselves.

Source: Bhagavad Gītā 6.34–35; Yoga Sūtra 1.12

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