Noticing: January 25 - 31

Photo of Lake Worth sky by Eve Soldinger, my friend and wisdom teacher.

I kicked off this year of mindfulness by giving instruction on how to build a daily meditation practice.

1. Establish a physical space within your home and your body

2. Dedicate time to developing your mindfulness muscles

3. Set an intention to direct your thoughts and actions

4. Pay attention on purpose to the present moment nonjudgmentally

Almost as soon as I sit down to meditate, the mental channel surfing begins. It's pretty much the same story every morning: work demands, family responsibilities, leftover dreams, anxiety about the future, and so on. The trick is not to get caught up in the stories but rather to take a step back and watch what is happening. The point of mindfulness is to learn to notice the noticing.

This morning, I'll offer a few tried-and-true techniques for pay attention to thoughts during meditation.

Naming

Most of our thoughts are recycled from the day before. Simply naming them can help return a particular thought to the bookshelf of our mind rather than spending effort rereading it. For example, instead of generating a to-do list for the upcoming day, I silently whisper "planning, planning, planning." The act of naming creates just enough space so I can let go, knowing I can return to the thought whenever I want. "Worrying, worrying, worrying" and "judging, judging, judging" are also popular on my playlist.

Cloud Watching

Think of your thoughts as clouds drifting across the sky of awareness. Follow the path of a thought as it arises, takes shape, and dissolves, only to be replaced. In the middle of thinking, thoughts feels so solid and substantial but as you develop the ability to watch them come and go, it is surprising how fleeting and flimsy they are. Realizing the nature of the brain is to generate thoughts in the same way the lungs breathe and the heart pumps blood, helps to not take them so seriously.

Body Mapping

Examine your thoughts like a scientist or a doctor. How big or loud is the thought? Where does it show up in the body? As tension in the jaw, tightness in the chest, or gripping in the belly? When have I experienced this thought and feeling before? How is this thought trying to protect me? What is it trying to show me? Welcome the thought as you would a wise teacher. Listen to what your thoughts are trying to communicate beneath the words.

Practice

Use today's meditation as an opportunity to enter the classroom of your thoughts. Sit up straight in your seat. Feet on the floor. Get ready to pay attention. Inevitably some thought will show up. Recognize and name it. Don't worry about getting the exact words. This simple act of noticing and naming may be enough to disengage from the thought.

Some thoughts are more persistent. If that is the case, allow the thought to be the object of your focus. Notice when the thought begins, fills your field of awareness, and moves on like a cloud passing through the sky. Sometimes granting the thought permission to be seen and heard is all that is needed. Sometimes it evaporates like the morning mist.

Other times, the thought dominates your inner landscape. Seize this as an opportunity from an unexpected visitor. Fully investigate the experience. Pay attention to where it lives in the body. If you are able, notice its intensity, its shape, its color, its pattern. Is this thought a frequent visitor? Sit with it and see what there is to discover.

When the process feels complete, honor yourself for staying present. It takes courage to sit with difficult thoughts and heavy emotions. Remember self-compassion. Invite your wiser self or imagine a beloved friend offering you nurturance and acceptance.