How Paying Attention Can Change the Way You Live Your Life
Photo by Justin Chrn on Unsplash
by WITHIN Meditation Teacher Herky Chopra
Once upon a time, a man was taking a stroll in the market. He came across a jewelry shop and saw a gold ornament on display. He picked up a rock lying nearby and broke the glass with a powerful blow. Before anyone could realize it, he was scurrying away with the jewel.
But the security guards nabbed him in no time, and he was presented before the magistrate. “I’m surprised,” the judge said. “You attempted burglary in broad daylight, in the middle of a busy market. What were you thinking?”
“It was the gold, Your Honor,” the thief said. “I couldn’t resist it. I got so blinded that I couldn’t see anything else. I didn’t see the guards or the owner, I didn’t see other people around either. All I saw was the gold.”
The above excerpt is taken from Om Swami’s book A Million Thoughts, and it sums up the art of attention!
Mindfulness is the practice of paying deliberate attention to our internal experience in the present moment, as it is happening now, without judgment.
In observing our internal experience, we notice how our monkey mind is constantly swinging between ruminating the past, an endless judgment of self and others, and anxiety-filled projections of the future, thus robbing us of the richness of the moment and life that is here and now.
When we sit down to meditate, we observe whatever is in our current experience without trying to change or alter it. Scattered energy, racing thoughts, charged emotions, or a fidgety body does not mean that we are not capable of meditation or need to give up.
Our entire experience of the moment can be observed with curiosity and nonjudgment. We can then intentionally shift our focus and attention to the breath or another anchor, gradually settling and centering.
In his book, The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD, Daniel J. Siegel, MD, states the following:
“Based on mounting research, it is evident that even those with inborn issues like mood, anxiety, or attention challenges can learn to train their minds and thereby change their brains. The secret ingredient to these changes is training attention.”
“Attention is the focus of energy through the nervous system,” Siegel continues. “When neurons—the basic cells of the brain—are firing off with attention, they actually alter their connections. When you are mindfully aware, you activate and then strengthen the executive circuits of the brain responsible for such things as attention, insight, and empathy.
“It’s important to note that mindfulness is a practice of being alert and attentive yet relaxed. This is in contrast to how we tend to pay attention in daily life: with effort, tension, and stress.”
When we pay attention to our thoughts and emotions, we can also let go of unhealthy inner distractions like regrets, worries, anxiety, guilt etc. As we move through the day, we can bring awareness to the activity we are engaging in and notice if it is aligned with what we had initially intended. Distraction wastes our energy, and attention restores it.
As Shauna Shapiro describes, there are three important pillars of mindfulness: Intention, Attention, and Attitude:
“Intention puts us in touch with what is most important in our life. Attention stabilizes our mind in the present, and our attitude affects how we pay attention. An attitude of kindness and curiosity determines our ability to see clearly, learn effectively, and respond wisely. They help us groove new neural pathways that give us the resources to face life’s challenges and deepen life’s joys.”
Experiment
Place your right hand in front of you. Observe as if you are looking at it for the first time today. Pay attention to the lines in your palm, your skin, texture, color, bumps, etc. You may even close your eyes and notice the temperature - do your palms feel warm or cool? Do they feel heavy or light? Tune into any sensations or tingling.
Don’t try to force any outcome; simply notice how you are consciously aware of your hand at this moment.
Now, shift your attention to your left hand. Notice how the hands were not in your awareness a few moments ago until you consciously directed your attention.
Where we focus our attention becomes our life. When we refine our attention, we are able to connect more fully and directly with whatever life brings.
Mindfulness practice is not about changing your experience but rather changing the way you relate to your experience.
Often, our perception of what is happening is distorted by our preconceived notions, habitual patterns, and fears. Mindfulness helps us see through these and be much more aware of what actually is.
We can be mindful of joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, not favoring one experience over another but instead meeting the moment where it is. We are neither trying to cling or hold on to a pleasurable experience nor resenting or numbing pain if it arises in the moment.
We are allowing and working with what is happening here and now versus an image or idea of what should be happening instead.
Herky Chopra teaches regularly in WITHIN’s online meditation studio. Join her for a class!