u/Wallrender

I'm having a hard time grasping how observing thoughts works. In the meditations I do, I've come to understand that the idea is not to "force" focus but to allow thoughts to come without judgement and then to return to the breath (or other point of focus.) But in the process of returning to the breath, am I "cancelling" the thought rather than observing it? Is observation all about noting the thought?

Or is the goal to become a neutral observer outside a continuous, unimpeded flow of thoughts that arise and dissipate on their own?