This mindfulness practice acts as a bridge between formal meditation practice, (where we take time out to sit with thoughts, feelings and sensations in the body) and the heat of battle as it were – our moment to moment experience, where we don’t always have the time or opportunity to go off and sit formally, in some quiet corner, on the cushion.
At first sight the invitation appears deceptively simple, just three breaths…but actually it is a tremendously tricky practice to do well, precisely because it is so difficult to remember. It is about pausing in the midst of the hustle and bustle and gathering our attention around this thing that we do, that is always present and with us, our breathing.
Instructions
As many times a day as you are able, pause with whatever you are doing, thinking or feeling and give the mind a short rest. Move the focus of your awareness to your breathing, give your undivided attention to three whole breaths allowing those inner voices to settle and be silent. Then expand your attention outwards, opening all your senses and just be aware – of colour, sound, touch and smell.
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Image courtesy of Ernest Vickne
” but actually it is a tremendously tricky practice to do well, precisely because it is so difficult to remember”
There seems so many things to remember,there are many websites like yours that give advise on meditation and awareness, so many ways to practice , even in Buddhism endless lists. Sometimes it feels like an information overload . By the end of the year you will have given out 52 suggestions on how to be mindful, all of them valid, but lately iv’e had a feeliing of WHOA i can’t take anymore. I know that some people find certain practices easier than others and that will bring the list down [you do what seems right for you]. But a large proportion of the suggestions work for most people.If you could simplify the best way to stay mindful with three practices what would they be?
The formal meditative practices of mindfulness of breathing, the bodyscan, mindful movement and mindful walking are the four core practices taught within an 8 week stress reduction (MBSR) course. They are formal practices because they require the setting aside of time and intention to practice them. There is no better place to start than on one of these MBSR courses if you wish to develop a secular meditation practice.
The weekly practices that I blog about are informal mindfulness practices that are a complement to formal meditation practice, they are designed to help us work with our attention as we go about our daily lives. A common misunderstanding about mindfulness is that it is a program of time limited exercises like those I have mentioned above (Eg 30 minutes of sitting meditation). This is not so. Mindfulness is helpful to the extent that it spreads out into all the activities of our life, bringing the light of heightened awareness, curiosity and discovery into everything we do from moment to moment, including those mundane things such as getting up in the morning, brushing teeth, getting dressed, listening to someone, going to work, etc etc.
Fin, I hope this answers your question in part – if you wish to discuss further please do give me a call. 0777 275 4626
It’s so very hard if you’ve been used to a scenario of ‘right & wrong’ ‘good & bad and ‘success & failure’.
You don’t get a reward for following a mindfulness practice other than the personal gratification you might arrive at.
It’s a very new and difficult thing for many of us, no certificate, badge or qualification, no validation from others.
I’m still finding more questions than answers but enjoying the journey, and going back to the breath.
Thank you James
Wow, I just don’t believe how timely and relevant this exercise is this week! Or maybe I do believe it, because these miracles of synchronicity keep happening. When I seek to live mindful of life, Life seems to provide what I really need, just when I need it.
I’ve just come home from a six-day mindfulness retreat over Easter with Thich Naht Hahn. Throughout the retreat bells kept sounding to bring us back to three mindful breaths. I knew the challenge afterwards would be to recognise my own ‘mindfulness bells’ in the course of daily life. Here are some I’ve come up with so far:
1. When out walking, every time I change direction
2. When driving, every time I stop at a red light or in a queue (Hey, aren’t red lights great!!)
3. Whenever I start a new activity.
4. Whenever I start to feel rushed or under pressure.
5. Whenever I realise that I’ve become unmindful.
6. But best of all, just whenever I want to!
Like Fin, I’ve felt a bit swamped by the ever-changing plethora of these informal practices of late. In theory I like the idea of extending opportunities to practice mindfulness – each one is a bit like another bell in the midst of daily life. For me the most important one is to keep on keeping on coming back to my breathing; the others I can adopt when I find it helpful, leave if I don’t. Maybe another year different ones will be more helpful to me. But I’m very grateful to you James for providing this blog so we can reflect on these things. Even when I don’t contribute, I’m still with you all, and delighted to read of other people’s experiences.
Thank you Geoffrey for your kind words.
As Tessa says, there is no ‘right & wrong’ ‘good & bad’, ‘success & failure’ with these practices, no one looking over our shoulder, giving a gold star or marks out of ten, so the experience of feeling ‘a bit swamped’ or as Fin expresses it ‘WHOA i can’t take anymore’ is borne of how we personally relate to the practices and the lens through which we perceive them. It represents an opportunity to get curious about our resistance to some and our preference for others. We can also and ask ourselves compassionately, ‘What is this feeling of being swamped or overwhelmed? Can I get interested in that, can I investigate it? Is this type of feeling a common occurrence or theme in my life? What is it within me that creates this desire to do the practices well or to feel obliged to do them all, week in week out? Do I need to put myself under pressure in this way? In what ways am I judging myself? Can I hold them more lightly?
From a personal point of view I try to post a new practice every week, it was my New Year’s intention. I don’t always remember to practice them and moreover sometimes my efforts are found wanting. I also find them overwhelming occasionally and when that happens I pause and like you come back to the anchor of my breath.
PS. Went to see TNH at the Royal Festival Hall……he was great so very envious of your retreat :)
Hi and it’s great to hear all your experiences with the practices. The retreat with Thay sounds wonderful, Geoffrey.
I’ve really loved this practice and it’s voyage of discovery. I decided to take 3 mindful breaths each time I noticed my judging mind (inner critic / superego… I also have other less polite names for this internal infernal voice).
Well, I found myself very busy with the breathing :)
And then I found myself judging that!
My endless tussling with the judge isn’t new, although it was shocking to confront it’s presence with a new intention… to just breathe.
But mainly I started to notice time had a different quality, somehow stretched and allowing me to get lots done, as well as breathing. I’m quite intrigued about this, and yet trying to just stay curious.
Any thoughts James?
Anyone else experienced time travel last week?
Hi Belinda
Internal talking, critical or complimentary, infernal or benign takes energy. The mind truly rests only when we are able to ‘turn off’ its thinking function by turning on its awareness function. Usually we try to do this in formal meditation practice on the cushion, so if we can sprinkle our day with short moments of meditative space by attending to just 3 breaths, then we are pausing, and creating space for ourselves.
So this feeling of time stretching out that you speak of is, in my experience, because we are creating more space for ourselves within time, by being more often in the present. By being more often in the present we no longer feel so rushed, under pressure or subject to the forward press of our anxiety.
All by bringing our attention to our breathing….how wonderful is that!