A Guided Meditation to Practice Second-to-Second Consciousness

After we practice our consciousness of what’s arising, each internally and externally, we enhance our capability to behave with knowledge, it doesn’t matter what life throws at us.

Knowledge arises out of our thoughts’s capability to remember—which isn’t the identical as pondering. Knowledge permits us to know what is going on in every second and reply appropriately, with our phrases, with our actions, with our ideas. Generally responding appropriately means not doing something in any respect, merely assembly every second because it comes. Knowledge is a moment-to-moment consciousness of what’s arising internally and externally. It begins with creating focus, which permits us to let go of our ideas and our plans and be on this second.

On this follow, we’ll start with focus, after which we’ll transfer to what’s historically known as mindfulness meditation, the place we merely discover what’s arising with out clinging or pushing away. After which lastly, only for two minutes, we’ll let go of all of the strategies and simply relaxation in our consciousness.

A 12-Minute Meditation to Practice Second-to-Second Consciousness

1. Discover a seat that’s snug. You’ll be able to sit or stand or stroll or lie down. You’ll be able to shut your eyes should you like, and in case your thoughts is sluggish in the present day, otherwise you really feel overwhelmed once you shut your eyes, preserve your eyes open with a low gaze. Use your knowledge.
2. Merely discover that you simply’re right here. Discover that you simply’re getting data from all of your senses—sound getting into your ears. Style. Odor. Mild. The burden of your physique, the air in your pores and skin. You’re additionally getting data out of your thoughts’s senses. These are ideas and feelings. All the things is arising. And every little thing is dissolving. All of it comes and goes.
3. Flip your consideration to your breath. Your breath is all the time with you. It’s going to be with you till you die. So it’s a dependable object that we will deliver our consideration to. Place one hand in your stomach to really feel the rise and fall of your breath, and start to depend your breaths. The primary inhale, exhale is one. The subsequent full inhale, full exhale is 2. Depend to 5 after which start once more. The trick right here is to not management your breath. Permit it. You’re simply resting right here, counting it, being with it. Once you get to 5, start once more. Should you get caught in a narrative or a plan, it’s OK. Come proper again to counting your breath. Discover the place you’re. Should you’re not together with your breath, gently come again, starting once more at one.
4. And now select to speak in confidence to mindfulness follow. You’ll be able to consider this mindfulness follow as noticing every little thing that’s arising, not simply your breath, however ideas, sound, scent or style, or any motion within the physique. Permit your self to be with it because it arises and never cling to it or push towards it or ignore it because it dissolves and adjustments. One method to follow mindfulness is to anchor to your breath. You would possibly think about the metaphor of a ship at anchor. It doesn’t go far-off. We don’t need to chase it round, it comes proper again when wanted. So permit your self to open to those different sensations. Should you really feel you’re getting misplaced, you’ll be able to gently come again to your breath. Simply be right here for 2 minutes as you follow mindfulness.
5. Now use this high quality of consciousness to note: The place is your consideration? Let your self expertise this second as it’s, because it arises and because it adjustments. Mild, scent, style, feelings, ideas, photos, all of the sensations of your physique. Nice. Disagreeable. Impartial.
6. And now let go of any approach. You don’t need to meditate or not meditate. Permit your self to be nonetheless and conscious only for one second, resting on this high quality of consciousness.
7. Utilizing your consciousness, the place is your consideration proper now? Use it now to acknowledge that your follow is effective. Take a second as we conclude this temporary meditation on knowledge to acknowledge and respect your efforts. Thank your self for practising in the present day.

Sharon Salzberg shares this meditation for vitality and serving to to strengthen focus so you’ll be able to focus with extra ease.
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