Day 13: Relaxed Attention

This meditation invites you to soften and widen your field of attention, allowing awareness to become more open and at ease. You’ll begin by settling into the present moment, then gently expand your attention to include a broader range of experience.

By relaxing the effort to focus narrowly, this practice can support a deeper sense of ease and natural presence. Awareness becomes less about holding onto one thing, and more about allowing everything to be known within a wider space.

This meditation is part of a 30-day series designed to support a consistent daily practice, whether you are new to meditation or returning again.

Let your attention open and rest, without needing to hold onto anything. Let it be as it is.

Transcript

Welcome to day 13 of our 30-day meditation challenge. Today we'll be practicing relaxed attention. So finding a posture that allows us to feel relaxed. But also allows us to remain alert. So you could be seated upright on a cushion, On a chair. You could also be lying down. You could even be standing up with your back against a wall. You can invite your eyes now to close. And inviting your body into stillness. If you prefer to have your eyes just a quarter of the way open, That also works. Just having a light, Relaxed gaze down towards the floor in front of you. Arriving. Right here, Right now. Letting go of whatever came before or whatever plans you have later. And just for this small stretch of time. Knowing that you only need to be right here. Right now. Nothing else to do, Nowhere else to go. So arriving more fully with this next inhalation. And following the exhalation all the way out. Noticing the quality of the breath. And let the body really settle into this stillness. So for this practice of a relaxed attention, We're not trying to hold attention on the breath. At least not with effort. Instead, We're simply noticing, A very light noticing. Just this as breathing in. And this is breathing out. So if you notice that there's any straining or constriction. Efforting, Trying hard. Letting that go. Instead cultivating that feeling of what it feels like when we come home after a day of a lot of activity. And we let everything go and we just. Subtle. Home. Aware of the body, Aware of the breath. Aware of the movements of the mind. If attention drifts away, Just gently guiding it back. Easy. Patient. Steady. Just breathing. Just being. No greater mountain to climb. Thank you for practicing with me on day 13 of our meditation challenge, And I hope you'll practice with me again tomorrow. Namaste.