MIDL: Cultivate Your Skill in Focusing

In this meditation, Stephen Procter will guide you in the meditative skill of changing your focus between wide, middle and narrow focus of awareness that when developed balances attention that may hinder the development of samatha (calm, tranquility) or vipassana (insight) based samadhi (unification). Support articles and instructions for this guided meditation can be found in the Free Online MIDL Insight Meditation Course by checking Stephens Procter's teacher profile.

Transcript

During this meditation we'll address imbalances within attention by developing skill in changing focusing of awareness.

If you just start out by taking a meditation posture.

One hand in the other resting in your lap thumbs lightly touching in the middle.

And allowing your eyelids to gently close over.

Feeling that relaxation.

Noticing the feeling of your body just sitting here.

The pressure of your arms,

Your hands resting in your lap.

Pressure of your body resting on the chair or on the floor.

Becoming very present.

Within your body.

Once awareness is grounded within your body,

Bring your awareness to your hands resting in your lap.

Becoming aware of the touch of your thumbs,

That gentle touch.

And taking a few gentle breaths,

Softening breaths,

Soften relax into that point of touch.

Now keep that point of touch gently in mind.

Continuously remember that touch.

Now slowly open your awareness to the room around you.

The touch of your clothing on your body.

Feeling the touch of the air on your skin.

And opening awareness wide to distant sounds.

Allowing the flow,

The change within the sound to hold your attention.

Now keeping the experience of the room in mind,

See if you can notice anytime your attention wanders away from it.

Now take some slow gentle breaths and begin to soften into your body.

Noticing different sensations within your body.

Maybe you can notice a feeling of warmth.

Maybe a feeling of coolness.

The pressure of your arms,

Your hands resting in your lap.

Pressure of your body resting on the chair or on the floor.

The feeling of heaviness as your body relaxes.

Take some slow gentle softening breaths and further relax into your body.

Becoming very present within your body.

Once awareness is ground within your body,

Keep the experience of just sitting here in mind and see if you can notice anytime your attention wanders away from it.

Now take some slow gentle breaths and begin to soften into your body.

Now take some slow gentle breaths and begin to soften into your body.

Now take some slow gentle breaths and begin to soften into your body.

Now take some slow gentle breaths and begin to soften into your body.

Now take some slow gentle breaths and begin to soften into your body.

Now take some slow gentle breaths and begin to soften into your body.

Now take some slow gentle breaths and begin to soften into your body.

Coming back into your body.

We're just going to exercise our focus in free repetitions.

Bring your awareness to the touch of your thumbs.

Continuously remember that touch.

Now open up wide to the room around you.

Keeping the experience of the room in mind.

Now bring it back into your body.

Just sitting here,

Middle focus.

Now narrow into the touch of your thumbs.

Now open up wide to the room around you.

Opening wide to the room around you to the distant sounds.

Now open up wide to the room around you.

Back into your body again.

Narrow focus down to that point of touch,

Touch of your thumbs.

Now open up wide to the room around you.

Open wide to the room around you.

And then finally grounding awareness back into your body in middle focus.

Now open up wide to the room around you.

Coming back into your body.

Thank you for spending this time meditating with me.

Take care of yourself and have a wonderful day.

Reviews

This worked my focus like the lens of a camera finding presence at all levels. Excellent meditation. Thanks Stephen!

Very effective and to the point meditation thank you

Perfect.

Very nice. Thank you 🙏

Always love your voice. Nicely paced. There was a metallic hiss that came on and off that I found distracting. Love your guidance.

Rotating awareness is amazing. About the time my mind started to wander, we focus on something else for a while. Great technique to bring to unguided sits. Thank you so much Stephen! Much joy and Metta! ☮️💖🙏🖖