Circumstances for learning this attention exercise
Worrying about something beyond your control
Experiencing mild to moderate physical discomfort
Experiencing mild to moderate physical discomfort
Remember, it's important to address pain and not just try to ignore it. If you're experiencing symptoms that need attention, seek help from professionals. By improving your ability to see things clearly and maintain internal composure, you can prevent making your pain worse and find effective ways to deal with it.
The paradoxical nature of insights from mindful awareness makes them difficult to describe and understand.
We all want our meditation-related insights to be logical and make sense. Nobody wants to waste time on exercises and habits without evidence that they can improve our lives.
It's an understandable stance, but the benefits of mindfulness practice must be experienced to be understood. It's not fair, but that's how it is.
Fortunately, throughout history, humans have discovered the liberating power of paradox, and we can improve our ability to interpret their hints.
Formal meditation practice helps us decipher the code used by contemplatives, poets, and artists who encourage us to shift our focus from making sense of what's happening to directly sensing the details.
We are accustomed to making sense of things, so relating to sensations more objectively takes a lot of practice. This is where things become messy and confusing.
It's natural to dislike unpleasant sensations and prefer pleasant ones. However, we can gradually reduce our instinct to interfere with them and develop a more neutral response to all sensations. This leads to feeling present, composed, and alive in ways that are difficult to describe.
Comfortable sensations can teach us how to pay attention to discomfort. Staying curious about uncomfortable feelings sounds strange, but there is tangible relief in not amplifying what hurts. It’s similar to how the discomforts of physical exercise lead to experiencing more strength and vitality as you go through your day.
The following attention exercise explores this fascinating and potentially invigorating challenge. You can customize it based on what you notice in your body when you try it.
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