Circumstances for learning this attention exercise
sitting by yourself in a coffee shop
shopping in a busy grocery store
alone in a quiet place — the most challenging option
Whether you’re new to mindfulness or have been practicing for a long time, it’s common to misinterpret the presence of thoughts as evidence of not paying attention mindfully.
Most mindfulness exercises frame thinking as the opposite of being present. While this oversimplification resonates with anyone who often feels scattered, it can lead to misunderstandings that undermine consistent practice.
Practicing mindfulness does not eliminate thoughts or feelings. Instead, it changes how you relate to them. By being upfront about this from the start, we can clarify expectations and optional responses, even if it means decreasing the simplicity of the instructions a little.
Consider what’s required to learn how to type. While it’s possible to write a novel using just two index fingers, your sentences flow more quickly when your fingers know the location of every key on the keyboard.
How do you get your fingers to become intimately familiar with all those keys?
Through lots of drills and repetition.
You spend a lot of time repeating those banal home row keys before introducing the letters above and below them.
A-A-A-A-S-S-S-S-D-D-D-D-F-F-F-F-J-J-J…
Having fun yet?
It feels silly and awkward. You feel uncoordinated and wonder if you might not be up to the challenge. It seems like an unnecessary obstacle to crafting your novel.
But the more you practice, the sooner you reach the point when the words in your mind flow right through your fingers and onto the screen.
The number of mistakes you make decreases over time. Even though they never go away entirely, they don’t diminish the value of the skill, and you quickly forget how clumsy it felt to begin acquiring it.
Most people assume hunting for breathing sensations while pecking away at thoughts is the only way to practice mindfulness.
Just as you can’t fully appreciate the benefits of touch typing without getting it into your fingers, you’ll never experience the liberating potential of mindful awareness until you strengthen it through exercises that feel awkward until they don’t.
Most meditation apps never ask subscribers to perform sensory sharpening drills, which are initially frustrating and confusing. This is good for the business but bad for spreading flexible attentional exercises and skills. Avoiding short-term clumsiness means never getting substantial traction in your ability to observe thoughts, feelings, and sensory perceptions with more objectivity and less internal friction.
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