Basic Awareness Practice.
Start by taking a moment to settle and relax before you begin.
Find a comfortable sitting position and listen to what the body needs,
Shifting position to be comfortable and balanced if necessary.
So begin by bringing attention to the body in relation to the space it's in,
Sensing the room and any objects around.
And shift the attention to the entire body as it sits here.
Now move the attention to the breathing process in the whole body,
Breathing naturally and leaving the breath to find its own rhythm.
And then come back to the sensation of the entire body.
And now bring to mind your reasons for doing this practice of basic awareness.
What is motivating and inspiring you to engage with this process of inner development?
And finally wish yourself success in this process.
This practice is to train the mind in greater awareness in order to make better choices and help develop a sustained,
Enhanced,
Focused and right attention.
It will also encourage you to question your life and open up to possibilities of change and fulfilment,
Helping you build a picture of what your potential might be,
What may be helping you develop your potential and what may be limiting you at the moment.
You perceive and comprehend the world and yourself through the mind.
So you need to build a basic awareness of your external world,
Your internal experience and the interplay between the two.
Here basic means moving from non-awareness to a simple level of being aware.
It is possible to train your awareness by training the mind intentionally or more deliberately.
Choosing what to pay attention to and what you engage with sets up the causes for long-term inner happiness and fulfilment or not.
You are training your mind to be able to hold a more focused and enhanced attention,
Like the zoomed focus of a camera or the spotlight of a torch,
But also a wider,
More encompassing attention,
Like the entire picture that a camera holds or the wider beam of a torch.
These two types of attention,
Focused and broader attention,
Build the mind's quality of awareness.
Here are some definitions.
Attention is the function or process used to guide the mind.
Awareness is the state and quality of mind that is the result of that attention.
There are four qualities of attention that you are developing.
Focused,
Enhanced,
In other words a clarity and intensity.
Sustained,
In other words longer lasting.
And right attention,
In other words an ethical and meaningful use of attention.
Each of the four qualities is flexible and you have the ability to shift between the different qualities of attention.
You can use your attention like an instrument,
For example a violin.
This idea is about playing with your attention.
The more you do this basic awareness practice it will become a habit and second nature,
Like any other skill,
For example driving,
Reading or writing,
Playing a sport and so on.
You need both the practice and the habit of basic awareness to build inner peace and make effective choices which create change.
So what you are learning are simple practical techniques to do this.
You can be aware but it is easy to forget to be aware.
So this is the start of the journey to becoming more in control of your attention.
And you will learn even if you do not seem to succeed because you will become more aware of your usual unawareness.
So now taking some time to find a comfortable sitting position with the back straight and not too tense.
And letting the head tilt slightly forward and resting it comfortably at the top of the spine.
Keeping the eyes either open or closed and changing that during the practice depending on what feels right.
If you have your eyes open resting the gaze in front without focusing on anything in particular.
Relaxing the muscles around the eyes and the jaw and tucking the chin in slightly.
And adjusting to what the body needs during the practice and shifting that position to be comfortable.
Now bring the attention to the natural breath in the body.
And take a moment to realize that before you started this practice the body was breathing automatically without you being aware of that.
And now focus your attention on this natural breathing of the body as it breathes automatically without changing it in any way.
Be aware that the breath is noticeable at the navel area through the movement of the diaphragm.
Holding your attention on the body as it breathes.
As it breathes in and as it breathes out.
Noticing the quality of the breath whether it is fast or slow,
Shallow or deep,
Whatever it might be.
Become aware of the length of the breath as it enters and leaves the body.
Not trying to change the length of the breath but just being aware of how short or long the breath is.
Simply observing the breath in the body and the sensations of the breath as it goes in and out of the body.
And now keeping this gentle breathing of the body in the background,
Bring your attention to the sensations of the air at the nostrils or the upper lip.
Making this your main focus of attention.
Keeping the sensations of the air at the nostrils or the upper lip in the foreground and still holding the body breathing in the background.
Noticing how the sensation of the air at the nostrils or upper lip feels on the in and out breath.
Noticing how the sensation of the air at the nostrils or upper lip feels on the in and out breath.
Not trying to change your experience,
Just focusing on the specific sensations at the nostrils or the upper lip and having an awareness of the body breathing in the background.
Noticing how the sensation of the air at the nostrils or the upper lip feels on the in and out breath.
And relaxing the process of breathing,
Allowing the breath to be easy and natural.
Letting go of any tension in the body,
Allowing it to calm and soften.
Relaxing the mind if it feels tight in any way.
Letting go of concentrating too hard.
Using your awareness to recognise when the breath,
The body or the mind need to be calmed.
And notice how your attention can be used to observe or modify,
Using the attention to observe the breath in the body or at the nostrils and to modify by calming the breath,
The body and the mind.
Relaxing the mind.
And now broaden your attention to encompass the natural breathing of the whole body again as it breathes automatically in and out.
And finally releasing your attention from the breath and bringing your attention back to the room.
So how was the practice for you?
What did you notice?
Did you notice if the mind was distracted?
And were you able to notice and use different modes of attention,
For example being aware of something or actively changing something?
And remember we are using the image of the spiral to show how certain personal qualities build on and reinforce each other in an upward spiral towards positive potential,
A positive reinforcement spiral.
Likewise,
Certain personal qualities also build on and reinforce each other in a downward spiral,
A negative reinforcement spiral.
So using what you noticed during the previous basic awareness practice,
Is there anything that may help you develop towards the top of the spiral or anything that may be limiting you towards the bottom?
And finally taking a moment to reconnect with your posture,
Rebalancing,
Relaxing and gently releasing any tension if necessary.
And becoming aware of the body breathing.
And taking a moment to recall your motivation for doing this practice.
So now bring to mind what you have experienced or learnt in this practice.
Have you discovered anything about yourself?
Have you begun to cultivate any helpful qualities or overcome or let go of any unhelpful qualities?
How might this process be beneficial and meaningful and contribute to the welfare and wellbeing of yourself and others,
Your family,
Friends and those close to you,
Those who inspire and nurture your positive development and all living beings and the environment they rely on?
And as this practice ends,
Try to carry this with you wherever you go by recollecting it occasionally.
