SIT UP STRAIGHT & PAY ATTENTION!!!
Just Breathe……
Part 3
Untap your creativity, professional performance,
health and emotional well-being…not to mention overcome ADHD
Techniques for Training your Attention
Yesterday’s blog spoke of the potential power of the untapped mind, for healing and success. Everything is energy…the more we can manage our energy, the closer we will be to our own personal goals and happiness. Following are some more insights and techniques from B. Allan Wallace’s book (reference at bottom)
- Mindfulness of breathing is especially appropriate for highly discursive, conceptual, imaginative, mentally talkative people
- Maintaining focused attention is vital for virtually everything we do…working, driving, relating to others, recreation, entertainment and engaging in spiritual practice
- Whatever your normal level of attention–whether you are usually scattered or composed—the quality of your attention can be improved
Basic Technique
Mindfulness of breathing is the settling of your awareness on the sensations involved in breathing, continually returning your attention there whenever your mind wanders.
The first sign of progress is noticing how chaotic our minds are.
We need to incorporate our bodies into our meditative practice…settling the body in its natural state. 3 Qualities to cultivate: relaxation, stillness and vigilance.
The Posture
1) Settle your body with a sense of relaxation and ease (eyes open, closed or partially closed). Wear loose, comfortable clothing, that doesn’t restrict your waist or abdomen. Rest your hands on your knees or lap, tip of your tongue may light touch the roof of your mouth. Sitting or laying flat on your back with a pillow under knees if desired.
2) Do a body scan, noting any tension and release it. Start with shoulders, face, jaws…set your entire body at ease. Keep as physically still as you can. Stillness of the body helps to settle the mind.
3) Breathe into the belly from the bottom up, as if filling a cup with water.
4) More vigilance is needed when laying on your back to meditate, that you don’t doze off.
The Practice
- Take 3 comfortably slow, comfortable deep breaths. Through your nose if you can (decreases your pulse and blood pressure if you can breath through your nostrils).
- Let your awareness permeate your entire body, noting any sensations. Visualize the breath as a massage.
- Then let your respirations resume their natural pattern, through your nose if you can.
- Observe the in and out breath. Short, long, deep, shallow, slow, fast. Let it be its own natural pattern.
- As you are distracted by thoughts, noises or other things around you, don’t tighten up/forcing your attention back to the breath. Gently let them go. With each exhalation, relax your body, release the thoughts or distractions and happily settle your attention back in the body.
- Don’t get frustrated or upset, just be happy that you noticed the distraction and gently return to the breath.
- I like the way he says: counteract the agitation and turbulence of the mind by relaxing more deeply, not by contracting your body or mind…with each exhalation release involuntary thoughts.
The Attention Revolution: Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind, B. Alan Wallace, PH.D., Wisdom Publication, 2006.
This series of blogs is related to a book I am reading by B. Alan Wallace. I will be sharing my thoughts and findings as I go through it…feel free to visit me on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elaine-Scribner-Author/349499848483126 to pose me any questions or thoughts. My intention/hope is that I can post 2-3 times each week as I work my way through the book…so come back and visit me.
Living Joyously Tip for the Day:
Cultivate a “Teflon mind”— where nothing sticks…practice meditation…start with just a few minutes a day.
