Stage 2 (TMI) The Mind Illuminated From 2018 Course

TMI Stage 2 guided practice from a course I led in the Finders Course Alumni community in 2018. There may be other influences such as Shinzen and anapansati in the meditation besides TMI but that is the framework.

Transcript

I'll give everybody a few minutes to do their six-step preparation.

Okay,

Now we come to the four-step transition to the meditation object.

In the first step,

Again,

We're just allowing everything to be in peripheral awareness without really controlling attention.

So I tend to open my eyes for this,

But if you have clothes,

That's fine.

Just become aware of seeing,

Hearing,

Feeling,

And a very broad zoomed out,

More peripheral awareness,

Less attention.

Then count 10 breaths.

Then step two,

We focus on the body from the head to the toes and all the sensations that are in the body.

I want to point out the sensation of solidity or stability underneath the sitting bones where we're sitting.

You feel that sense of being supported.

The earth is not letting us down,

That we're supported and very stable.

Just bringing attention to this can help stop that frenetic mind wandering.

The earth itself,

The earth itself is supporting us,

Giving us stability.

Feel that,

Feel that stability,

The sense of being supported.

Count 10 breaths.

Then step three,

We focus on the body from the head to the toes.

Then step four,

We focus on the body from the head to the toes.

Then step five,

We focus on the body from the head to the toes.

If we ever feel overwhelmed,

We can come back to this step in the transition.

Just come back to the whole body sensations.

Root yourself again in stability and then move on to the next step of the transition to step three.

Now we focus on the sensations of the breath.

Wherever we feel them in the whole body or in the torso,

I guess.

Just start limiting our attentional focus.

We're narrowing it,

But we're not collapsing the peripheral.

Just let my voice be in the peripheral awareness.

All the sounds,

The sights,

Whatever.

Just have the intention to become aware and focus on the sensations of breathing.

You can follow it from the tip of the nose down to the navel and then back up on the exhalation or just wherever your attention naturally falls to.

That's fine as well.

You can really try and keep peripheral awareness strong.

Don't let it collapse.

Be open as you attend to the sensations of breathing.

One time breaths.

If you're feeling drowsy,

Just crack your eyes open a little bit.

Let some light in.

That place there.

There it is.

Dear audience,

The moment you motion in your carry back,

Relax,

Okay.

So,

We transition to even a tighter focus of attention to the sensations of the breathing at the nose.

So,

Wherever you feel it most clearly,

It could be different on the inhale from the exhale.

That's totally fine.

Just bring attention to the nose.

We're not pushing anything away.

We're just choosing what we attend to focus on.

Everything else can be where it is.

It's no problem.

We're not trying to control the world.

We're trying to focus our attention.

Again,

Count ten breaths.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

So,

As we focus on the sensations of the breath at the nose,

We're going to breathe a little bit longer.

There's any tension in the head.

We just use the long breath to soften the face and breathe away any tension in the air.

Okay.

When you're satisfied that there's less tension or no tension in the head,

We can move to stage two practice,

Where we begin to note the end,

The beginning of the exhale and the end of the exhale,

The pause,

Beginning of the inhale,

The end of the inhale,

The slight pause.

Begin to tease out these beginnings and endings with your experience of the breath.

Again,

Very relaxed,

Just intentional.

Set the attention.

Engage with the practice.

If it helps to keep breathing long,

Then keep breathing long.

If that's distracting,

Let go of it and just focus on the stage two practice.

Again,

Don't let peripheral awareness collapse.

Find the best zoomed out and zoomed in balance in which this is seen very clearly.

It's not a hyper-focused attention or just enough to see the beginnings and endings and maintain peripheral awareness.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

If the mind wanders into thought,

Recognize it,

Ah,

I was mind wandering.

You celebrate that,

Tap yourself on the back,

Caught myself.

It's exactly what I'm supposed to do.

Woke up from the dream.

And then we intend to focus on the sensations of the breath.

We just keep doing this over and over,

Not forcing the mind to comply.

So we take an interest in the breath,

We investigate the breath.

What's it like?

What's that beginning and ending like?

Can I really see them clearly?

If you see them clearly or if you see them,

Can you see them all of the same way,

Equal clarity?

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

If the mind wanders into thought,

Aha,

Caught you.

Celebrate that moment,

Appreciate that.

Tap yourself on the back.

It's exactly what we're supposed to do.

If you want to take a few breaths and see if there's any tension in the face and just breathe them away.

And then determined,

Intend to focus on the sensations of the breath,

See the beginnings and endings of the inhalation and exhalation.

If that's getting easier,

Then try and feel some sensations between the beginnings and endings of the inhalations and exhalations.

A little more investigation.

If that's too difficult,

Then don't do that.

Just try and see the beginnings and endings of the inhalations and exhalations.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

The mind wanders into thought.

You just catch it.

Catch him again.

Catch yourself on the back.

Celebrate that moment of waking up.

Direct and sustain your attention at the middle dantian in the middle of the chest.

A few inches below or inside from the breastbone.

Focus on the sensations of breathing there.

The expansion and contraction of the lungs.

Again,

Try and see the beginning and endings of the inhalation and exhalation.

And the pauses.

If there's any tension in the torso,

Can enact long breathing.

Relax.

Feel good.

Feel calm.

Feel calm enough.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

The mind wanders into thought.

Catch yourself on the back.

Appreciate that moment.

Feel that moment of awakening.

Focusing more on the sensations of breathing.

Try and investigate right now what's the right amount of focus,

Tight focus or broad focus,

Which I can see clearly the beginnings and endings,

The inhalations and the exhalations.

So we're investigating,

Trying to figure it out,

Be clear.

And what's happening and work with what's happening.

Demind yourself into thought.

Aha.

Catch yourself on the back.

Catch it.

Celebrate that moment.

That introspective awareness waking up.

As you attempt to the breathing,

Really feel the torso,

How calm it gets when you long breathe.

How good that feels.

The feeling of ease,

Of relaxation.

Maybe even equanimity is there.

Not being positively or negatively emotionally prodded.

Just a sense of peace,

Ease.

It's felt in the body.

Appreciate that too.

Direct and sustain your attention a few inches below the navel,

About an inch inside or so.

The lower dantian.

Again,

If there's any tension in the lower abdomen or the legs.

Long breathe.

Calm and release any tension that you feel.

And when you feel that the lower abdomen and the lower body is sufficiently calm,

Engage with stage two practice of seeing the beginnings and endings of the inhalation and exhalation,

But at the sensations in the lower dantian.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The mind wanders into thought.

Aha,

Caught you.

Appreciate that moment.

Don't become impatient with yourself.

Mind monitoring is appropriate for this stage.

Again,

It's not through will,

Look,

Overcome this is through finesse.

It's getting the waking up response and then intending to engage with the sensations of the breath or clearly or deliberately without collapsing peripheral awareness.

We're patient with ourselves.

It's a training.

We can do this.

Just keep doing it over and over as long as it takes.

We're patient,

We're tolerant with how we are,

Acknowledging our capacities and building upon.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The mind wanders into thought.

Appreciate that waking up introspective awareness.

The mind wanders into thought.

The next time you wander go to the sensations of the chest.

Thank you.

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Reviews

Gentle guide through The Mind Illuminated's basic framework, but it could work for those who haven't read the book as well.

Very nice accompaniment to reading and trying TMI on my own. I appreciate the reminders to broaden rather than collapse awareness. Nice balance of guidance to silent sitting. Thank you

Clear and comforting 🙏 the direction to move between the three breathing spaces when the mind wanders is very helpful 💜

Gentle guidance…appreciate your words to “celebrate” recognizing mind wandering and return to the breath. Thank You.

🌿

I really believe that this kind of practice is so much more effective eventually to dismantle the underlying conditioning that keeps people attached to trying to fix “me” than most of what is offered here or beyond. I know it’s contentious to say it like that but it’s what I look for here and anywhere. Maybe it is because I also completed Finders though without transition. That researcher found that most practices do NOT lead to ongoing peace. I saw the book TMI a few years later but did not establish a regular practice, nor was I willing to attend retreats. This is a great bridge.

Wow another outstanding meditation! So simple but very deep, stabilizing practice. Lovely long pauses to practice and just about the time I didn't notice my mind wandering, you get a gentle reminder

Very nice meditation gently paced. Reminds me if not relaxed and at ease then the mind will come up with more distractions.