Start by taking a moment to settle and relax before you begin.
Find a comfortable sitting position and listen to what the body needs,
Shifting position to be comfortable and balanced if necessary.
Begin by bringing attention to the body in relation to the space it is in,
Sensing the room and any objects around you.
Lift the attention to the entire body as it sits here.
Move the attention to the breathing process in the whole body,
Breathing naturally,
Leaving the breath to find its own rhythm.
Come back to the sensation of the entire body.
Bring to mind your reasons for doing this exploration on attitudes.
What's motivating and inspiring you to engage with this process of inner development?
And finally,
Wish yourself success in this process.
This exploration is to raise your awareness of how your attitudes,
In any given moment,
Influence how you perceive the world.
It will also encourage you to question your life and open up possibilities of change and fulfilment,
Helping you build a picture of what your potential might be,
What may be helping you develop your potential,
And what may be limiting you at the moment.
One way that you perceive the world is via your attitudes.
Attitudes are ways of thinking or feeling about something,
A view or outlook.
Attitudes are traits developed by habit over time,
And they reflect personal differences and characters,
And are often the result of conditioning.
Unless you bring them into your awareness,
They are often unconscious.
Attitudes cannot be reduced to visible behaviour alone.
They reflect deep motives.
Positive motives are less self-preoccupied,
And negative motives more self-preoccupied.
Positive or beneficial attitudes have wholesome positive and constructive effects,
Both physical and psychological.
They also have a positive impact on others and the world.
However negative or disturbing attitudes,
In other words,
Attitudes which disturb your peace of mind,
Have unwholesome negative and destructive effects,
Both physical and psychological.
They also have a negative impact on others and the world.
So disturbing attitudes are detrimental to inner and external happiness and wellbeing.
Start by thinking of something that is neutral for you,
That you do not have any strong reactions to.
It could be an object such as a piece of furniture,
A building or something in nature.
And just let that go for now,
As you will come back to that later.
Now take a moment to choose a disturbing attitude that you experience often.
If it helps,
Choose one from the following list.
Being hostile,
Infuriated,
Malicious,
Greedy,
Envious or jealous.
Or alternatively,
Choose one that is more relevant to you.
Now close your eyes and focus on the disturbing attitude whilst you listen to this short exploration.
Bring to mind a situation that brought up this attitude in you,
One that is safe for you to work with now.
What did that attitude feel like for you at that time?
What does that attitude feel like for you now?
What does that attitude feel like for you now?
Now recall the neutral object you chose at the beginning of this exploration and think about it whilst holding this disturbing attitude.
How does that object appear to you with this attitude?
Now let go of that disturbing attitude on an out breath.
Next,
Choose a beneficial attitude,
One that you experience often.
Again,
If helpful,
Choose one from the following list.
Being patient,
Content,
Forgiving,
Kind,
Generous,
Grateful,
Loving or compassionate.
Or alternatively,
Choose one that is more relevant for you.
Now close your eyes and focus on the beneficial attitude whilst you listen to this short exploration.
Bring to mind a situation that brought up this attitude in you,
Again one that is safe for you to work with right now.
What did that attitude feel like for you at that time?
What does that attitude feel like for you now?
Now recall your neutral object again and think about it whilst holding this beneficial attitude.
How does that object appear to you with this attitude?
Next,
Choose a beneficial attitude,
One that you experience often.
Now let go of the beneficial attitude on an out breath.
So how did the different attitudes affect how you saw the neutral object?
How do your attitudes affect how you see the world?
Do they influence everything you experience?
Do you think that they are short term states of mind or longer term habits of mind?
Now,
Psalm.
And finally,
How do they affect your life and the lives of others?
And remember,
We are using the image of the spiral.
So,
Using your learning from the previous exploration on attitudes,
Simply note whether the attitudes you identified may be helping you develop towards the top of the spiral,
Or if they may be limiting you towards the bottom.
Finally,
Taking a moment to reconnect with your posture,
Rebalancing,
Relaxing,
And gently releasing any tension if necessary.
Becoming aware of the body breathing.
Taking a moment to recall your motivation for doing this exploration.
Reem to mind what you've experienced and learned in this exploration.
Have you discovered anything about yourself?
Or have you begun to cultivate any helpful qualities,
Or overcome or let go of any unhelpful qualities?
Why might this process be beneficial and meaningful,
And contribute to the welfare and wellbeing of yourself and others,
Your family,
Friends,
And those close to you,
Those who inspire and nurture your positive development,
And all living beings and the environment they rely on?
And as this exploration ends,
Try to carry this with you wherever you go,
By recollecting it occasionally.
