Mindfulness Exercise
Building Open Awareness
Widen your awareness to include sensations, sounds, emotions, and thoughts without becoming fixed on any one experience.
BookmarkAbout This Practice
Open awareness lets sensations, sounds, emotions, and thoughts share the same field of attention. You begin with the breath, widen to the whole body and surrounding sounds, and then include thoughts and emotions as they become prominent in their own order.
This practice builds flexible attention and helps you recognize when awareness has narrowed around one experience. When that happens, feel one breath and open the field again. There is nothing particular you need to experience, and judgments about the practice are simply included as one more thing appearing.
Guided Practice
Choose the practice length that suits you today.
Building Open Awareness
Practice Methods
Meditation
Sit or lie down comfortably, with your eyes closed or resting softly. Follow along with the audio recording.
Writing
Take three slow breaths. Begin writing what is most noticeable in your body, mind, or surroundings. Continue recording what enters awareness: a sensation, sound, emotion, thought, image, or urge. Follow the order in which each experience becomes noticeable rather than organizing the list in advance. If attention becomes fixed on one thing, write that you became caught. Then widen awareness and record what else is present. If nothing stands out, write: nothing is present. Continue until something else enters awareness. Review what you wrote.
Inner Child
There is no inner child version for this practice.
Mirror
Sit or stand where you can see your reflection. Keep your eyes open and use a soft gaze. Begin with your reflection as one part of the experience. Widen awareness to include body sensations, sounds, thoughts, emotions, and the room around you. Let each experience become prominent in its own time. Do not keep your attention fixed on your face or appearance. If a judgment about yourself appears, include it as a thought and reopen awareness to the full experience. Finish by noticing your whole body, the room, and your reflection together. Then take three slow breaths.
Real-World Practice
Use this during an ordinary activity when broad awareness will not interfere with safety or the task in front of you. Notice what is most prominent. Then widen awareness to include your body, sounds, surroundings, thoughts, and emotions. If one thought or sensation takes over, recognize that your attention has narrowed. Take one breath and include the rest of the situation again. Keep enough attention on the activity to continue safely. Open awareness is not a reason to become less aware of practical demands.
Micro Practice: Just Three Breaths…
- Breath – Notice what is most prominent.
- Breath – Widen awareness to include your body and surroundings.
- Breath – Remain open as you continue.