First up, it’s very common to have thinking going on and then to forget what it was all about afterwards. It’s a sign that the thinking wasn’t very mindful (or perhaps wasn’t mindful at all) but that too is very common. That in fact is the normal state of affairs that we’re working with in meditation. Those periods of unmindful thinking often cause the arising of negative emotional states such as self-doubt, ill will, etc.

The issue of controlling the breath is a bit more tricky to answer. One approach is for you just to stick with the practice, noticing the feelings of discomfort, and letting go as best you can of any judgments that you make about what’s going on. Often what happens is that we decide that something (like tightness in the outbreath) is “wrong” and so we tense up even more. If you keep working in this way then one day you’ll simply “forget” to tighten up! Perhaps you do already, for periods of time.

Another approach (and there’s no reason you can’t use both) is to use your imagination to help you connect with a sense of letting go of controlling the breath. You can read more about that here.

Please do let me know how you get on.

Also, I find that whilst I am meditating I am aware of certain thoughts, but that soon after my meditation is over, I forget the thoughts I was previously aware of. Is this normal or a sign of improper meditation?

Many thanks