When you listen to our Meditation Oasis podcasts, it's best to leave all your ideas about how to meditate behind. Forget about what you think meditation is or how you think it should be done. Most definitely let go of any expectations of what the experience should be like. Let it all go and listen with a "beginner's mind" and open heart!
One goal of my guided meditations is to create a space where you can be effortless, allowing the natural flow of life and living. Coming to the meditation with the idea that you have to breath in some special way, that you should not be having thoughts or even that you should feel a certain way during meditation can make meditation into a struggle.
I recently received an email from someone who said she was having a "hard time breathing" during the meditations. It soon became clear that she was trying to breath deeply and do it "correctly". I responded that she didn't need to breath in any particular way, but simply to allow the breath to go on its own naturally.
In a sense, my guided meditations are about being in the "allow mode", not resisting what arises. Thoughts, emotions, sensations in the body come and go. Noise happens around us. All of this is part of the natural flow of the energy of life. The instructions are just gentle suggestions which are not meant to be followed in a rigid way. If the attention wanders, that's fine. Just bring it easily back to the meditation.
There is no "correct" experience. There are no mistakes in these meditations. If there is a sense of strain or struggle, it's just a sign of effort and the formula is to let it go. Take it easy, take it as it comes!