See Now, Hear Now, Feel Now

The most effective mindfulness exercises are those you're willing to practice frequently enough for the benefits to emerge naturally over time.

Experimenting with a variety of options increases the likelihood of finding a few that you're willing to learn and adapt to fit your interests and needs.

Someone who has participated for years in group practice sessions I facilitate recently came up with an approach that resonated with her. It involves making a distinction between focusing on something observable in the present versus focusing on something in her imagination.

She came up with a label to describe and categorize observable details that exist in the present: here now.

When she noticed that her attention was focused on a scene or situation different from the one she was experiencing directly, she would shift her attention to something present in the here and now instead.

Making this distinction reminded me of a perspective Mark Freeman described in his book, You Are Not a Rock:

“Learning how to meditate and practice mindfulness in my daily life has helped me to recognize that I have seven senses. I experience sight, sound, touch, smell, taste, thought, and emotion."¹

Anything you can observe using your five senses qualifies as being here now, while thoughts and feelings enable us to focus on things that are not present.

When your attention is anchored in a storyline, it's an indication that you're focusing on scenarios from the past or future. Over time, you can develop the ability to observe thoughts and feelings in a way that is similar to noticing sensory details. This requires learning to untangle the strands of perception that make thinking in stories possible.

Shinzen Young slices the sensory pie in a unique way that highlights the relationship between outer and inner experience.²

• Visual

  • physical sights

  • mental images

• Auditory

  • physical sounds

  • verbal thoughts

• Somatic/Affective

  • physical sensations

  • emotional feelings in the body

Tastes and smells can trigger thoughts and feelings, so how you categorize them depends on the specific exercise you're doing.

Taking in many sights and sounds mindfully prepares us to watch mental images and listen to verbal thoughts more objectively.

Emotions fuel and shape our memories, plans, and predictions, so detecting emotional feelings in the body helps us untangle the scenes into their sensory strands.

The symmetry between objective and subjective experience has made a significant impact on my mindfulness practice. I want others to realize that this is something they can also learn to do.

While it might seem abstract at first, this framework contributes to practicing mindfulness in a way that feels remarkably tangible and flexible, making it applicable in any conceivable situation.

Instead of trying to be happy and calm when the conditions are favorable, it leads to inhabiting more of the moments of our lives more fully, regardless of the circumstances.

---

Exercise

This attention exercise utilizes the awareness of mental storytelling to help redirect your attention back to what you can see, hear, and feel in the present moment.

Circumstances for learning this attention exercise

• brushing your teeth, showering, and getting dressed

• walking the dog

• watching your children or grandchildren playing in the park

• driving³