Today we will practice mindfulness,
Purposefully paying attention in the present moment,
The of seeing using our eyes,
Our sight,
Meditating on form.
Sometimes it's called form of meditation.
It's something that's available to all of us at any moment.
So try it now if you like.
Let your eyes move away from whatever you were seeing so far and just let your gaze land on something nearby.
Offer it bare attention,
Seeing it as if for the first time.
Softly notice its shape,
Color,
Texture and the space it occupies.
Try leaving the labels and associations aside.
It's no time for memories,
Noticing the environment or other bodily sensations.
There could be a thought crossing your mind but try not to wonder.
Keep your attention,
Maintain your attention,
Only responding to your object and what you see.
Always coming back again and again to a direct experience of the object you have chosen.
Let us gaze away from the object and just rest your mind as it is without any sensory input.
Allow everything to be without choosing the object of your attention.
Relax your eyes,
Relax your facial muscles,
The skin all around the lips and the nose.
And now,
Why don't we try again?
You can use the same object or a different one.
Maybe a small object that is really close enough so you can see it without strain.
So this is your object of attention.
It helps you anchor your awareness in present moment.
This little practice might reflect some of the elements of your experience from that day that you lived.
There could be some questions,
Doubts,
Thoughts,
Feelings,
Desires,
Aversions,
Doubt,
Boredom,
Anything that comes.
Just leave it be and you focus on the moments of just seeing,
Seeing the object.
Instead of responding,
Reacting to the thoughts and habits and frequent flyers of the mind,
We cultivate choice,
We learn to cultivate choice.
What is it?
What kind of shape,
Form,
Color?
What's the size of the object?
Maybe you can look at it from different angles.
Does the shape change?
Observe the details.
Are there any ridges,
Veins,
Patterns?
Any variations in color or shade?
Is it blemished?
Does it have upper side?
Is it different than the rest?
Don't touch it,
Just look at it.
What markings does it have?
Remember,
Just as if you were for the first time encountering the object.
There are no preconceptions,
Because usually we do have so many preconceptions about everyday objects.
Attend again to colors,
Shades,
Shapes and details.
Notice the space around that object.
Don't get too fixated.
The object itself does not really matter,
It's that you rest your attention.
You are aware,
Nothing more than that.
You don't need to recognize every little detail,
Just be curious so that your attention is sustained.
That's it.
It doesn't have to be anything more than that.
And then again,
We'll rest,
We'll rest the mind.
We always do that.
We bring our attention to something and then we rest,
Without fixation,
Just allowing the mind to rest in objectless awareness for a few moments.
And now let us do it one last time,
The last round.
Look around you.
Ignore what you know about depths and distances.
Really see the object,
The form,
The shape,
Whatever it is.
A photograph,
It could be back of the head of the person sitting in front of you,
On the bus,
In the meeting.
You can look at the object of some spiritual significance,
An image,
A statue,
Shape,
Color.
Focus on whichever aspect you prefer.
Don't tense up,
Trying to recognize every little detail.
The whole point of the exercise,
Of this practice is to rest your mind,
Give it something to do so it's not going wild,
Creating new stories.
Simply relax.
If it doesn't work,
If it's too much,
If it's too boring or too overwhelming,
Then remember,
You can just rest.
We are not focusing on results,
So we always alternate between observing and resting the mind.
Observing and resting.
Let your mind rest now,
Just as it is.
Thank you.
