Suddenly Present: How to Meet Your Own Mind
Mindfulness has become such a buzz word that I’m afraid nobody knows what it means anymore.
So, let’s agree right here, right now, to set that word aside for the moment and just talk about how to practice connecting with your very own mind.
The practice is called meditation. In Tibetan, the word for meditation is gom, which means “to become familiar with.” The practice is simple, yet profound. It’s a practice I have incredible intimacy with, having practiced it for nearly 25 years.
I welcome you now, here, wherever you are, to pause for a moment and give this a try.
Here at the beginning, the first thing we do is set our posture. I invite you to find a chair, or if it’s available, a meditation cushion. It doesn’t really matter where you pause — you could be sitting on a park bench, the edge of your bed, or your desk. You could even be standing or walking. The main point is, and this is important: let yourself relax.
Obviously, please put down any other media sources besides the device you are reading this on, so that you can take a few moments here to just pause and land.
Once you have your posture set, we can begin. The first thing to do is really just feel your body.
Feel the placement of your legs, whether they are crossed or in front of you.
Notice your feet.
Feel the uprightness of your back, and shoulders.
Notice the softness of your belly
and feel your breath.
Notice your chest, shoulders, the weight of your arms.
Notice the feeling of the air on your skin
The uprightness of your neck and the weight of your head.
Take three deep breaths and just focus on the feeling of the breath.
Notice the air coming in and out of the body.
Take another deep breath.
Good.
Breathing is the simplest way that we can allow ourselves to land and dive into the robustness of our experience.
Now, for just a few moments (after you read this next part), I’d like to invite you to close your eyes. Take this opportunity to just calm down. Notice your breath. Physically connect with the sensation of the breath. You do not need to think “breathing.” Your body knows what to do.
Literally just notice the breath.
Notice where you feel the pressure
the sensation
of your belly moving in and out
the feeling of your chest rising and falling
with the breath.
Quite simply, this initial phase of meditation practice is centered on resting our awareness here on this very present moment of breathing. It is almost as if you are perceiving the breath for the very first time.
Now, deepen that attention. Place your attention on the tip of your nose or the softness of your belly. As you inhale, simply acknowledge the breath coming in. When you exhale, acknowledge and recognize the sensation of the breath going out.
At this early stage of our practice, it’s like greeting and then saying goodbye to an old friend.
Now that we have a basic familiarity with the practice established, we can begin noticing when our mind wanders. Simply notice the mind’s movement and then come back to the breath.
It’s simple.
But I know it’s not easy. That’s why it’s called practice! Again and again, we place the attention of the mind back upon the sensation of the body breathing. Now, as they say, is always a good moment for a fresh start.
The strongest gift you can give yourself is this gift of a #pause. Noticing what it feels like to touch into your experience gives you a literal moment of emancipation from the patterns that bind.
The key is gentleness. When the mind wanders, as it will always do, you can just say to yourself “thinking,” and then gently place your attention back on the sensation of the breath.
Good.
Thank you for your practice.
Sarah Lipton is a visionary. For over two decades, she has guided thousands of leaders as they navigate the challenges of leadership. She is the founder of GENUINE, Inc, which is pursuing the mission of transforming society through community. Sarah is an author, keynote speaker, podcaster and leadership expert living high on a hill in northern Vermont with her young family and huge garden. Get in touch with her today to join her movement.
Originally published at https://genuinenetwork.org.
