Cultivating Attention:
Meditation
Cultivating attention comes down to one key principle:
Return to what is already there, and rest.
This principle has three applications: body, breath, and mind.
Body
Take a moment right now, and imagine sitting in attention. As soon as you pay attention to the body, you become aware of a natural straightness in the body. Let the body position itself to express that natural straightness.
Notice how your chin naturally drops a little, how your neck and spine straighten and lengthen, and how the rest of your body falls into line. Keep your eyes slightly open--not expressly looking at anything, but open. Notice how you are more present and awake in this posture. Once you recognize the feeling of natural straightness in the body, you realize that it is always there. All you have to do is let this natural straightness express itself in your posture.
The first application of the key principle is to physical posture: whenever you notice that you have lost the natural straightness of the body, return to it and rest.
Breath
Sitting in natural straightness, experience the coming and going of your breath. Let your breath become natural, unforced, relaxed. Breathing in attention means letting your body do the breathing.
Don't try to control the breath. You may experience tension between the body and the breath. The tension indicates that you are no longer breathing naturally.
The second application of the key principle is to breathing: whenever you notice tension between the body and the breath, return to what is already there -- the natural relaxed breathing the body knows how to do. Let go, let the body breathe, and rest.
Mind First, place attention on the breath.
Take a moment to feel the natural straightness in the body. Feel the natural flow and rhythm of the breath. Now, put a slight emphasis on the exhalation--not enough to disturb the rhythm of the breath. Thoughts stop. You are just aware of the breath.
Second, let attention rest on the breath.
Once you have placed attention on the breath, let it rest there. There is nothing more to do. Breathe, resting in the experience of breathing, feeling the breath going in and out. Thoughts and feelings may arise, but they are of no consequence. Just let them arise and go.
At some point attention decays and you become involved in a thought, memory, or image, or slip into a dull, sleepy state. A few seconds later, you are suddenly aware that you are no longer resting on the breath. In the moment of recognition, you have already let go of the reaction. Now, just return to the experience of breathing.
The third application of the key principle is to mind: whenever you realize that you have been distracted, return to the clear, stable attention that rests on the breath.
Too explicit? Try the back door.
Feel free to print this page
for your meditation practice
Timeframe for this practice and signs of assimilation
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