Basic Awareness Practice,
Challenges and Solutions Before you begin,
You might like to read the challenges and solutions page or listen to the challenges and solutions audio track and select one of the solutions to use in this next basic awareness practice.
Taking time to find a comfortable sitting position,
With the back straight and not too tense.
Letting the head tilt slightly forward and resting it comfortably at the top of the spine.
Keeping the eyes either open or closed and changing that during the practice depending on what feels right.
If you have your eyes open,
Resting the gaze in front of you without focusing on anything in particular and relaxing the muscles around the eyes and the jaw,
Tucking the chin in slightly.
Adjusting to what the body needs during the practice,
Shifting your position to be comfortable and taking some time now to take three deep breaths.
This practice is to help you let go of distractions and get a more focused,
Sustained and enhanced attention.
Focusing on building basic awareness by practicing awareness of the breath in the body.
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 might be helping you develop your potential and what might be limiting you at the moment.
So now becoming aware of any disturbing attitudes in the mind,
Any worries or frustrations and putting them aside for the duration of the practice as much as you can.
Ask yourself why you are doing this practice,
The benefits of doing it and the disadvantages of not doing it and who might benefit from you doing this practice.
And remember,
This is to help you let go of distractions.
Now bring the attention to the natural breath in the body,
Taking a moment to realise that before you started this practice,
The body was breathing automatically without you being aware of that.
And now focus your attention on this natural breathing of the body as it breathes automatically without changing it in any way.
Be aware that the breath is noticeable at the navel area through the movement of the diaphragm.
Taking your attention on the body as it breathes,
As it breathes in and as it breathes out.
Noticing the quality of the breath,
Whether it's fast or slow,
Shallow or deep,
Whatever it might be.
Become aware of the length of the breath as it enters and leaves the body.
So not trying to change the length of the breath but just being aware of how short or how long the breath is.
Simply observing the breath in the body and the sensations of the breath as it goes in and out of the body.
If the mind is distracted or agitated,
Let the distraction or agitation release on the out breath,
Bringing the attention back to the breath in the body.
Be aware of the length of the breath as it breathes out and leaves the body.
Noticing the quality of the breath as it breathes out.
Noticing the quality of the breath as it breathes out.
Keeping this gentle breathing of the body in the background,
Bring your attention to the sensations of the air at the nostrils or the upper lip,
Making this your main focus of attention.
Keeping the sensations of the air at the nostrils or the upper lip in the foreground,
While still holding the body breathing in the background.
Noticing how the sensation of the air at the nostrils or the upper lip feels on the in and the out breath.
Noticing the quality of the breath as it breathes out.
Not trying to change anything,
Just focusing on the specific sensations at the nostrils or the upper lip and having an awareness of the body breathing in the background.
Try not to judge the experience as good or bad and let go of any expectations and trying too hard.
Noticing the quality of the breath as it breathes out.
And now relaxing the process of breathing,
Allowing the breath to be easy and natural.
Letting go of any tension in the body,
Allowing it to calm and soften.
Relaxing the mind if it feels tight in any way,
Letting go of concentrating too hard.
And if the mind is distracted or agitated,
Simply try to accept it and return to the practice,
Reminding yourself to work with your chosen solution should you need to.
Use your awareness to recognize when the breath,
The body or the mind needs to be calmed.
Notice how your attention can be used to observe or modify.
Here you are using the attention to observe the breath in the body or at the nostrils and to modify by calming the breath,
The body and the mind.
And now broaden your attention to encompass the natural breathing of the whole body again as it breathes automatically in and out.
And finally releasing your attention from the breath and bringing your attention back to the room.
So how was the practice for you?
What did you notice?
Did you notice if the mind was distracted or agitated?
What kind of distractions did you notice?
How did you bring your attention back?
And how useful was your chosen solution?
And remember we are using the image of the spiral to show how certain personal qualities build on and reinforce each other in an upward spiral towards positive potential,
A positive reinforcement spiral.
Likewise certain personal qualities also build on and reinforce each other in a downward spiral,
A negative reinforcement spiral.
So using what you noticed during the previous basic awareness practice,
Is there anything that may help you develop towards the top of the spiral or anything that 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.
And now taking a moment to recall your motivation for doing this practice.
Try to bring to mind what you've experienced and learned in this practice.
Have you discovered anything about yourself?
Have you begun to cultivate any helpful qualities or overcome or let go of any unhelpful qualities?
And how might this practice be beneficial and meaningful and contribute to the welfare and wellbeing of yourself and others,
Your family,
Friends and those close to you,
Or those who inspire and nurture your positive development and all living beings and the environment they rely on?
And as this practice ends,
Try to carry this with you wherever you go,
By recollecting it occasionally.
