Breath, Not-Breath Moments

"We spend most of our time caught up in memories of the past or looking ahead to the future, full of worries & plans. The breath has none of that "other-timeness." When we truly observe the breath we are automatically placed in the present moment. We are pulled out of the morass of mental images into the bare experience of the here and now. In this sense, the breath is a living slice of reality. A mindful observation of such a miniature model of life itself leads to insights that are broadly applicable to the rest of our experience."

~Bhante G.

The next time you take that one seat for meditation, try out this simple practice...first anchor your attention on the breath, right in it, fully. Now, as if the mind and heart are a blank page, an empty space begin to note what appears in this space, the experiences that take you away from the breath attention.  With as much vigilance as you can muster, notice the moments you are distracted from the breath as "not-breath" moments. You can start to be really conscious of just identifying the distractions from "breath" as "not-breath."  As you find stability and confidence in making this distinction you may begin to take time to see what the experience is: thoughts or images? Is it related to the breath, a physical sensation, a sound, close by or further afield? Do not get caught up in anylizing or elaborating on the experience, you are simply beginning to experience the actions of the mind, discovering the nature of mind. 
When you feel scattered, overwhelmed, sleepy, restless or bored, ramp up the attention to the breath, narrow the focus and really feel it's sensation in the body. As the mind stabilizes and calms you may then be more mindful of the "not-breath" moments either in a narrow sense or in their broader identifications.  Either way, allow yourself time to come back over and over to the breath and see what unfolds!

Clarity and Peace
Jenn

R.A.I.N. & the Hindrances

“Acceptance. . .simply means that you have come around

to a willingness to see things as they are.”

~Jon Kabat-Zinn

Hello friends and yogis!

In seated practice we are currently encouraging you to work with 2 skillful means that address the sometimes challenging moments presented by your thoughts and emotions...these two practice elements —R.A.I.N. & the Hindrances will help you to turn towards that which is occurring in present moment time and allow for a greater degree acceptance around these experiences, shedding light on the truth that exists here and now. In addition to an explanation of these practices there is a focus for mindfulness in daily living this week. 

Enjoy your practice.

R.A.I.N.
R: Recognize
A: Accept, Allow
I: Interest, Investigation
N: Non-identification-letting go: “Not me, Not mine, Not who I am”
THE HINDRANCES
1) Restlessness (worrying, remorse, agitation)
2) Sloth & Torpor (sleepiness, boredom)
3) Sensual desire (wanting, craving, wishfulness)
4) Aversion (anger, frustration, irritation, resistance, fear)
5) Doubt (& Fear)

While you are still focusing on (and returning to) the breath, you are allowing for greater awareness of what draws you away, particularly the emotional quality of what draws you away. We are NOT interested right now in the story. Instead, allow yourself to briefly explore the texture of your felt experience (where in the body you feel the emotion, its weight, its breadth, its changing quality) and then let it go and come back to the breath. Remember to honor the hindrances as guests, welcome them with kindness—we aren’t denying or pushing them away but we also aren’t letting them decide who we are, or to take over our house and run the show.

HOME PRACTICE Play with these techniques, Maybe in one sitting you commit to using the R.A.I.N. technique and in another you bring some particular awareness to what Hindrances are showing up for you. Or you might loosely integrate them into your practice, intentionally bringing acceptance and interest to your aversion or restlessness, etc. Note: The anchor of your meditation is still the breath

-For those of you who are new to meditation, try 5-10 minutes of practice a day
-For those of you with an established practice, focus this week on really grounding your practice in some way— committing to a specific length of time, strengthening your intention as you sit or filling the gaps in the regularity of your practice.
Mindfulness in Daily Life: Sound
Whenever you can (whenever you remember!) notice whatever sounds are present. Hear the tone quality, the loudness, softness, continuity, sharpness, dullness, roundness, even the silence underneath. Notice the sounds of walking, eating, cooking, breathing, going to the bathroom, computer keys clicking, voices, wind, cars, birds, plumbing, whatever it is. And of course, notice when there's a mental story or judgment about the sound; whenever there is, meet it for a moment with curiosity and acceptance, and then come back to the physical quality of the sound itself. If you find yourself caught up in an emotion, a personal drama or any kind of mental gymnastics during the day, come back to the simple experience of the actual sounds arising in that moment. Enjoy!