We live in a noisy world that is constantly competing for our attention. But as teacher Sharon Salzberg reminds us, our attention is at its strongest when we are able to rest and restore it.
When we talk about interest, we often use active and passive verbs: Pay, bid, court, leverage. In mindfulness, attention is not a commodity that can be used; It is a gift that must be nurtured. What might you feel? break Our interest?
This week, teacher Sharon Salzberg offers a guided meditation that is deeply realistic and restorative as we practice maintaining awareness of the lightest touch possible.
Meditate to rest your attention
Read and practice the guided meditation text below, pausing after each paragraph. Or listen to audio exercises.
- In this meditation, you can sit comfortably or lie down. Close your eyes, or if you’re keeping them open, just find a place in front of you to rest your eyes.
- Focus your attention on the feeling of inhaling and exhalingOr at the nostrils, or at the chest, or at the abdomen. Just normal, natural breathing.
- When I’m silent, that’s a signal for you to implement what I just suggested.
- When you feel the sensations of breathing, you can make a very quiet mental note to breathe. With the inhale, then again with the exhale. Maybe once or maybe twice you repeat the word silently He breathes while you breathe, He breathes As you breathe.
- He thinks He breathes When a thought or feeling arises that is strong enough to distract you from breathing. Simply observe it silently as Not breathing: It’s not breathing and you can recognize it that way. So we have He breathes And we have Not breathing.
- It is important to understand that it does not matter if it is the most beautiful idea in the world or the most terrible idea in the world. It is simply not breathing. You don’t have to judge yourself. You don’t have to get lost in an idea or explain it. You realize that it is simply not the breath, very gently let go and return your attention to the feeling of the breath.
- Some of your thoughts or feelings may be tender and caring. Some may seem harsh or hurtful, but they are not the breath. You can see them, recognize them, let them go, and bring our attention back to the feeling of breathing. These thoughts and feelings are like clouds moving in the sky. Some of them are very light and delicate in appearance, and very attractive. Some of them are very ominous and threatening, but all of them are not soul. We just let them go.
- Our habitual tendency is to cling to a thought or feeling, to build an entire world around it or to push it away, to struggle against it. Here we remain equal, balanced, and calm. We simply realize that it is not breathing. Very gently we let her go. We bring our attention back to one breath at a time
- When you feel ready, you can open your eyes or look upAnd we will end the meditation.
