To include dealing with distractions in the “basics” of a mindfulness practice is kind of silly, but these are just some introductory tips. This is a topic that you will come back to throughout your mindfulness practice. It is in some ways the essence of a mindfulness practice.
The key to a successful mindfulness practice is to find 1-3 techniques that really work for you and use those well rather than have a veritable swiss army knife of different options. However, people often have to try many techniques before they find what will work for them.
With any of these, the name of the game is vigilance and consistent effort. When in doubt, just keep trying.
On to the techniques.
Write about what is on your mind
This is something different from what typical meditation instructors teach, but I have found it exceptionally valuable as a language-focused piece of humanity. The idea here is simple: if you have a recurring thought that keeps interfering with your meditation practice, write about it. Write down everything going through your mind in a free write. The key is to keep those fingers tapping (or your pen going across the paper).
It doesn’t have to be structured, it doesn’t have to even be grammatically correct. Draw pictures and diagrams if they help. Write as if you will never share it with anybody. In fact, I suggest not sharing it with anybody, though you may want to use this free write as material for something you do eventually share.
The fact is humanity has not found a better way to organize thoughts than through language. Once you have defined the problem that keeps cropping up for you into language, your mind will have a better chance at processing it and figuring out what to do with it.
Watch this space for a future post on some questions you can ask to tease out everything that is bothering you about a particular thought.
Big Mind
This is a more traditional technique from Zen Buddhism. Think of the mind as a body of water upon which thoughts are cast like stones that make ripples. How big is your body of water?
Often people start with a shallow, small body of water (as their mind). This causes each thought to make huge waves in the mind so that it becomes very hard to be still.
On the other hand, an experienced mindfulness practitioner has a huge ocean of a mind, so that nothing makes such huge waves that they do not quickly dissipate and allow calmness to pervade again.
What is the difference between a small body of water mind and a big ocean mind? Perspective.
I will write more about this in the future, but for now, think of the mind as a big ocean upon which thoughts can make no more than slight ripples. When a thought makes a ripple in your mind, do not try to counteract it. Simply let it play out, and try your best to not let another thought follow on to create another ripple. Just let it fade away.
Big mind. Beginners mind. Write it out.
Tweet
Related posts: