This exercise is Noticing Where Your Attention Is. It builds the most basic mindfulness skill of all: catching the moment your attention has drifted, and bringing it back.
Use the meditation version today. It lets you watch your attention directly while someone guides you. You will meet the other practice methods later in this course.
About This Practice
Attention moves constantly, and most of the time we do not notice it has gone until much later. This is the most basic of all the skills, because every other practice depends on it. If you can catch the moment your attention has drifted, you can choose where to put it. That single moment of catching it is the whole skill.
In this exercise you will rest your attention on your breathing, and wait. Your mind will wander, that is not a fault, it is what minds do. Each time you notice it has gone somewhere else, you will recognize where it went, and bring it back to the breath. You will do that again and again.
Guided Practice
Choose the practice length that suits you today.
Mindfulness Exercise
Practice Method
Meditation
Sit or lie down comfortably, with your eyes closed or resting softly. Follow along with the audio recording.
Next, we turn to Compassion, the second step in our 4-StepsTM approach.