Focused Attention Meditation - Brief

Focused attention is a fundamental mindfulness meditation training. It is designed to promote attention control (i.e., placing our minds where we choose to) and self-awareness. Focused attention meditations are part of evidence-based mindfulness programs such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-Based College (MBC), and Mindfulness-Based Blood Pressure Reduction (MB-BP), along with many other mindfulness and meditation traditions.

Transcript

Taking a moment to settle in. Settling into a position that is comfortable and promotes wakefulness. Just doing a quick sweep of the mind and the body just seeing where we're at. Knowing that this meditation is focused on developing our concentration or our ability to place our mind where we want to place it. And so the invitation is to find an object of meditation. Almost like an anchor point that's here with us no matter where we are. So for most of us, The invitation is for it to be the breath. Where that object of meditation is the in-breath and the out-breath and everything in between. But the breath isn't comfortable for everyone and if that's the case for you, You're welcome to choose a different anchor like a part of the body such as the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet where we're really there with those raw sensations of warmth and coolness or touch or lack of touch. Maybe comfort or discomfort. Where that part of the body is the object of meditation that we're training ourselves to be with. Or the object could be a different anchor point like the sensation of sound. Where we're there with those raw elements of sound like the pitch or the volume or the proximity or distance that that sound is. So we're not interpreting what the sound is itself like it's a car or a bird or a cat but it's actually those raw elements like how loud or soft it is. Is it regular or irregular? So whatever your object of meditation is, Take a moment to just settle in with it. Whether it's the breath, A part of the body or sound. And if your mind has wandered by now, Just noticing where it went. Knowing that's good information and we're not judging ourselves for where it went. Just noticing with curiosity and acceptance. The mind just goes where it goes. But in knowing where it goes, It helps us become more self-aware and really understand ourselves better and once we understand ourselves, We can really work with what's there. So noticing where the mind goes and inviting it back. Back to this moment. To this breath or this part of the body or this sound or lack of sound. And so over time in this meditation, We can come to get perhaps better and better at placing our minds where we choose to and developing our self-awareness of when the mind goes, Where does it go? That's good information and let's bring it back. Back to where we choose to place it so that we can train ourselves to be right here, Right now with our entire lives. So as this meditation comes towards a close, Inviting you to bring this awareness to whatever next step that you take as you continue on with your day or your evening.