The traditional starting point, at a longer sitting. We rest our attention on the breath, notice when the mind has wandered off, and guide it back.
Listen to the Meditation
About This Practice
Your mind will wander. That is not a flaw in your concentration and it is not something this practice will cure. Wandering is what minds do, and research suggests we spend roughly half our waking lives somewhere other than where we actually are.
The value is in the noticing. Every time you catch that your attention has drifted and bring it back, that is one repetition. The noticing is the exercise, not the staying. Most people who give up on meditation do so because they think a wandering mind means they are failing at it. They have the scoring backwards.
What this builds is attentional awareness, the ground floor of Mindfulness. You cannot work with a belief you have not noticed, and noticing starts here.
Twenty minutes gives the mind time to settle before the practice really begins. Worth building up to rather than starting with.
Micro Practice: Three Breaths
When you catch your mind somewhere other than the present moment, take three breaths.
- Breathe to settle your attention on the breath itself.
- Breathe to arrive in the present moment and in your body.
- Breathe to begin again, and notice what is around you.