How to meditate properly?

There are a whole lot of ways to meditate. Different traditions, different methods, etc. The simplest way I know is to sit somewhere comfortable and quiet. Breathe in for a count of five, tense your abdominal muscles, hold the breath for five seconds, and breathe out for five. Repeat. You can increase your count as you get more comfortable. I can get up to about twenty in, twenty hold, twenty out, but only with a lot of work. While you're at it, don't try to think. Don't try not to think. If a thought comes, don't push it away, just let it drift by. Weird stuff tends to come to mind when you're being quiet and processing oxygen and such differently than usual. There's not much point in fighting that or you'll just stress yourself out. Just let your brain work and focus on getting the breathing right. The rest will come.