[In an effort to use FB more for socializing and my blog more for my writings on my life, I am copying old content from there to here with the title prefix "Archive:". This was originally posted to FB on 16 January 2018.]
Start Cultivating Mindfulness in Three Steps
Mindfulness is not itself an activity. Rather, it is a byproduct that emerges from a practice. One follows the practice with slow gentle patience, continually returning after inevitably straying, and mindfulness emerges in you. Here is one such practice.
Phase 1 is intended to be practiced often, and it only takes an instant. Phase 2 requires a moment to a few minutes, so is still very frequent but less so. And Phase 3 can take from minutes to unlimited time, so you do it as you can.
1. The game: remembering the present moment.
(A reversal of The Game.) From now on, every day, you are playing the following game: you win again each time you remember that you are playing the game, and then notice that right now you are in the present moment. Pause the running train of thought, your rumination on past or future, and just see your self right there right now exactly as you are. You are entitled to bonus win if you can hold on to the awareness of the present moment for any length of time.
2. Incorporate your body.
Many of the times you win the game, you will be on the go, in conversation, or, say, operating heavy machinery. But if you are in a position to interrupt your activity, you can add the following aspects to it.
Here you are in the present moment. Closing your eyes helps now, but is optional. Start breathing deliberately: calm, medium-slow, and deep into yourself. As you bring air in and out, perform a checklist on your body. Working from the top of your head down to your toes or vice versa, one point at a time, let your attention fall onto each successive part of your body. Ask that part of your body how it is doing, and wait with a non-judging curiosity for an answer in the form of a sensation. If you find tension that can be relaxed, do so. If at any point you have stopped breathing, simply continue. Take your time. By performing the checklist while breathing and remaining in the present moment, you get Level-2 win, with bonus win for carrying your breathing and bodily awareness for any further length of time.
3. Meditate.
Begin with Phases 1 and 2, and use the feedback from your body to adjust your posture and find a comfortable, relaxed, and stable situation.
Now let go of all but one thing: your breathing as an anchor for your attention in the present moment. Simply observe your breath. Most people choose the most noticeable aspect of their breathing experience, commonly the feeling between the tip of their nostrils, or the feeling along their windpipe, or the rise-and-fall of their body. Hold your attention's gaze at that one point, letting every other aspect of your thinking just fall to the side. Inevitably you will have thoughts, impulses, ideas, and all manner of sensations trying to jump in and steal your attention, and they will succeed. Each time your mind strays from your breath, notice it, see it compassionately and curiously for what it is and without judgment... and gently let it fall to the side and return your attention to your breath. Over and over. You get Level-3 win for each time you notice the straying and returning.
For how long? Well, how much time do you have? Even several minutes is a good start. The longer you do it, the more the character of the experience unfolds. On retreats, people practice for hours or more.