Meditations for Deep Living Today,
A wise choice.
Each moment of every day,
We have a choice to make that we're usually unaware of,
Yet it's perhaps the most important,
Moment-to-moment decision we make in our lifetimes.
This is the choice between being mindfully aware or becoming lost in thought and the busyness of our lives.
It's a choice between directing our attention with conscious purpose or allowing our mind to wander in habitual repetitive patterns.
Though these habitual patterns can be entertaining,
Even addictive,
They're the greatest source of distress in our lives and are usually at the heart of anxieties and depressive thinking.
At minimum,
They remove us from experiencing life fully and authentically by way of distracting us into a virtual world of thought.
Meditation is a powerful tool to help us become aware of the tendency of a part of our mind,
Sometimes referred to as the doing mind,
To hijack our awareness into these mindless patterns.
It's also the best means known to gain control over this.
By learning to direct our awareness in a conscious manner,
We're able to sidestep much of the stress of modern life and live more effectively.
This meditation will help you become more familiar with the nature of your busy doing mind and its compulsion to hijack your awareness through countless and often compelling distractions.
It might also help you to better appreciate the consequences of allowing this to happen and to explore the alternative choice of mindful attention.
So if you please,
Sit or lie in a comfortable position,
Close your eyes,
And relax.
Allow yourself to be aware of how your body feels.
Attend to the sensations in your legs,
Your hips,
Your abdomen,
Your chest,
Your shoulders and arms,
Your face.
Now direct your attention to your breathing.
When we breathe,
There are numerous body sensations that accompany each inhalation and exhalation.
Take a few breaths and identify those sensations that your awareness favors.
It might be a sensation in your nose,
Your throat,
Chest,
Or belly.
Choose one that you'll focus on today.
Now for your next breath,
Take a long and slow inhalation to the silent count of five.
Pause momentarily,
Then release the breath to the count of five.
Continue this,
Breathing in to five and out to five,
Directing your attention to your chosen breath sensation.
Now release control of your breathing and allow it to take on its natural rhythm while remaining aware of your chosen breath sensations.
How have they changed with natural breathing?
If you find your mind has wandered,
As it will inevitably do,
Simply bring your attention back to your breath.
Each time your mind wanders,
Gently redirect your attention back to the breath without judgment.
After a short while,
You may notice that your awareness has been hijacked by endless distractions,
Many of which can seem important to attend to.
Each time this happens,
Recognize it,
Accept it without judgment,
And gently redirect your attention back to the breath.
If in this brief period of attending to your breath,
You've experienced a few moments of quiet presence,
Make a note of how that feels,
Without analyzing it in any way.
Just notice what it's like to have your mind calm and focused,
If even for a few brief moments.
Now continuing to focus on your breath,
The next time your awareness is hijacked by your busy-doing mind,
Try something different.
This time,
Let it happen.
Allow your attention to be drawn away into whatever mental distraction has lured you.
You may find yourself planning or worrying,
Analyzing or judging the process,
Or you may find that your mind has simply started to wander aimlessly.
Whatever story or task your mind has become busy with,
Follow it for now.
Now reflect for a moment on what you've just experienced.
When you were following the distraction,
Did it seem like familiar territory,
A typical few moments of a typical day?
Was your mind focused on a single train of thought that proved to be productive,
Or did it wander about from thought to thought without any apparent destination?
Either is possible in this brief exercise.
Busy mental activity can be stimulating,
Distressing,
Or anything in between.
How did the experience of being pulled into the virtual world of thinking compare to those few moments of focused,
Mindful attention you experienced earlier?
Although our busy-doing mind has an important function in our lives,
If left in charge it can,
And usually does,
Direct our awareness to a never-ending series of plans,
Reactions,
And impulses that lead to nowhere but other plans,
Reactions,
And impulses.
Make no mistake,
Our thoughts are useful tools to help navigate this life,
But they're most helpful when tempered with mindful awareness.
This is a choice that we have every moment of every day,
To allow our minds to wander about on countless and never-ending mental journeys,
Or to find ground and bring it under our conscious control.
Take in one or more deep breaths,
And refocus your attention on your breath sensations.
If you find your mind has become agitated by your mental journeying,
Breathe in to the count of five,
And out to the count of five,
To recenter yourself,
And then gently redirect your attention back to your chosen sensations.
If you've been able to re-experience a few moments of mindful awareness,
Make a note again of how this contrasts with your typical state of mind.
Imagine what it might be like if you could bring some of this calm,
Focused presence into your everyday activities.
This is the choice that we have each day,
And your meditative practice will,
In time,
Empower you to make it seamlessly and effortlessly.
Thank you for taking the time to meditate with me today.
May you be warm and safe,
And may you live in peace and happiness.
