There are thousands of ways to pay attention. We can follow the breath by watching the rise and fall of the abdomen. We can pay attention to the touch of the body against the cushion, or one hand against the other hand. We can scan the body and be aware of sensations. But ultimately, we are trying to quiet our busy mind.
So why not just sit down and pay attention to our thoughts? There is a style of meditation that teaches this. Vipasana. Noticing what IS. Being with what IS. But it takes some work. The mind is a tricky place. Our thoughts and our thinking is complicated business. As we begin a meditation, we notice our thoughts, but we also become trapped, wrapped up, and stuck in them. One thought leads to another which leads to another, and another, and another, and so on. Fifteen minutes later we wake up and realize we spent that whole time stuck in a daydream or worries about our bills or whatever. We weren’t present, we were stuck. And if we’re honest, that chain of thoughts is repetitive, and ongoing, and stressful, and BORING.
Today’s Meditation will teach us to watch thoughts, but not get caught in them.
Today, we will sit like a mountain, watching clouds go by. Just watching them go by. Not being tempted to follow one, or hold onto one, or miss one after it has passed. Just watching them come and go. Come and go. Come and go.
And now the practice of yoga begins…
Namaste.
*Photo by Raj Eiamworakul on Unsplash
