How much should i try while meditating? I have just started meditating and was wondering how much effort should I put  into not getting distracted ?
As I have noticed while practicing there are varying degrees of trying I can use the more I use the more focused I am but I also feel like my mind is working harder and kind of less relaxed .

Should I even be trying at all ?
Because when I am not trying at all mostly the wave of thoughts easily sweep me away from the meditation.

Or is it like finding the balance between trying really hard and not trying ?
If the last one is the case how can I find the balance ?
Buddha compared it to holding a live bird: too hard you would kill it, too light it would fly away.   

The following book is a collection of about 30 suttas in which the Buddha talks about Anapanasati:

Buddhawajana
Anapanasati