Focused Attention Meditation

This Focused Attention Meditation guides the listener through different objects of attention and then asks them to choose the one that works best for them. Included are mindfulness of the body, breath and sound.

Transcript

This is a focused awareness meditation.

So the first thing is finding a comfortable upright posture that will support yourself for this meditation,

That will embody this intention you bring to spend this time with yourself in this way.

And so the posture is an upright posture embodying the dignity that you bring to your practice.

As well as a relaxed,

Easeful posture,

Feeling the pull of gravity on your body and allowing it to have its way with you.

That there is no need to hold yourself up in any particular way.

And so finding a balance between these two energies,

The upright energy of wakefulness,

Interest,

Curiosity,

Aliveness,

And the other balancing energy of ease,

Relaxation,

Openness.

So finding a balance between these two and then bringing the attention right into the place where your body is making contact with either the chair or the cushion or whatever it is you're sitting on.

Bringing your attention right into this area and noticing how it feels to be sitting in this way.

Noticing what the body feels like as it makes contact the chair or cushion.

Perhaps you feel pressure.

Noticing if you feel that pressure evenly throughout your body that's making contact or if you feel it more strongly in some places than in others.

Becoming really curious about what this feels like.

And then allowing these sensations to fade into the background of your attention,

Still there but not the primary focus.

And inviting you to shift your attention to your hands.

The way in which your hands are making contact with your body.

You might feel them being held in your lap or clasped in one another or maybe they're resting on the arms of a chair.

But if they are indeed making contact with your body,

Noticing what this contact feels like.

How do you know that they're touching your body in some way?

Perhaps you feel heat or a tingling sensation,

Moisture or dryness,

Pressure.

How is it that you know your hands are making contact with your body?

Noticing that the mind wanders away from time to time or maybe frequently as you bring your attention to your body in this way.

And recognizing that this is not a problem in any way.

That you can notice where the attention has wandered off to.

Really making a note of it.

And then very kindly and gently bringing the attention back to where you were.

Back to sensation in the hands.

You might notice a tendency to criticize yourself or judge yourself.

If this is the case,

Noticing it and seeing if it's possible to bring kindness and gentleness to what's happening.

Kindness is the foundation for mindfulness.

And you might notice that the more that you criticize yourself,

The less mindfulness becomes available.

Just notice this in your own practice if you like.

And so noticing how the hands are making contact with the body.

And then inviting you to allow these sensations to fade from the center of attention.

And to bring your attention to sensation in the whole body sitting here right now.

Or whatever part of the body is available to you.

You might not have sensation in all of it.

And so knowing the whole body sitting here in this moment.

Perhaps aware of some feelings of some pleasant sensations in some areas of the body.

Unpleasant sensations,

Discomfort or even pain in other parts.

And perhaps still other areas that feel neutral,

Neither pleasant nor unpleasant.

Welcoming and opening to all sensations.

And then allowing sensations in the body to fade into the background of your awareness.

And inviting you now to turn your attention to breathing happening in the body.

You might even focus your attention narrowly onto breathing happening in the belly.

What does the breath feel like in this area?

Bringing your attention to the way in which the belly rises on the in-breath.

As the belly reaches full capacity,

A slight sense of fullness.

And then the sense of release on the out-breath.

You might even notice a slight pause before the next in-breath is drawn.

Bringing interest and curiosity to wherever you are in the breathing cycle.

That each breath is different and that each breath can be known.

Balancing this with the awareness that the mind will wander.

This is what minds do and it's not a problem.

It doesn't mean that you're not doing this right or that you're not good at meditation.

It simply means that the mind has wandered.

And we can notice that and realize that we're back in a moment of mindfulness.

Gently bringing our attention back to breathing happening in the belly.

And allowing breathing in the belly to fade into the background and inviting you to shift your attention up to breathing happening in the chest.

Feeling perhaps the expansion of the lungs on the in-breath.

That sense of fullness when the lungs reach capacity.

And then the sense of release on the out-breath.

Allowing the lungs to fully release the air.

And in-breath begins.

The idea here is to notice the breathing just as it's happening.

Not to try to change it or modify it in any way.

In mindfulness we're curious about what's happening right now.

What is happening in our actual experience.

And so right now breathing is happening in the area of the chest.

And we can know this.

And then inviting you to allow breathing in the area of the chest to fade into the background.

And to draw your attention up to the nose to breathing happening at the nose.

Noticing what it feels like as you draw the air in through your nostrils.

Perhaps you feel a slight tugging.

And then what it feels like as you breathe the air back out.

Perhaps you feel a slight flare of the nostrils.

Maybe noticing the passing of air on your upper lip as you breathe in and out.

Noticing whether you're breathing through one or both nostrils.

Then allowing awareness of breathing to fade into the background.

Inviting you to bring your attention now to sounds.

Sounds arriving at the ears.

This is a very receptive way of listening.

Not going out and looking for sounds to hear.

But simply noticing what arrives at the ears.

And this is a listening for the quality of sounds.

Not trying to identify what they are,

Although the mind might step in and do this.

You can notice this if it happens.

You might also notice that the mind has feelings about whether the mind likes sounds or doesn't like sounds.

You can simply notice this too.

And then come back to this possibility of noticing sound for sound.

Whether the sound is high pitch,

Low pitch,

Medium.

Whether it's a consistent sound,

Pulsating.

Whether it arises up,

Persists for a moment or two and falls off.

The volume,

Whether it's loud or soft,

Near or far from you.

Noticing the pause between sounds.

And so focusing the attention on whatever sounds happen to be available in your experience in this moment.

As the mind wanders,

Bringing the attention back to sound.

And then allowing sound too to fade into the background.

And inviting you at this point to consider these different places to focus the attention.

Mindfulness of the body,

Whether it be the way the body is making contact with the chair or cushion.

Mindfulness of the way in which the hands are making contact with the body.

Or a general awareness of the body sitting here.

Or it could be mindfulness of breathing.

Breathing happening in the belly,

In the chest,

In the nose,

Or in the whole body.

Or mindfulness of sound.

Picking one of these areas to focus the attention on for the rest of this meditation.

And you might not be sure which one works best for you.

And if that's the case,

Simply choosing one and committing to this one area.

Bringing the attention back again and again,

As many times as needed.

This possibility of putting everything else down and bringing the fullness of your attention to the fullness of your life in this moment.

Knowing experience as it's happening.

Noticing where the attention is in this moment.

And just this moment.

Bringing the attention just to this one moment right now with curiosity and interest.

In a moment you'll hear the sound of a bell ringing.

And when you do,

If you like,

You can turn your attention fully to the sound of the bell.

Breathing to it until you can't hear it anymore.

And you can turn your attention to the sound of the bell.