Mindfulness Class One -
Practices for Day 2
Coming back to this moment via awareness of thoughts
On day 2, we'll practice awareness of the thoughts that come into our consciousness.
By being aware of thoughts as they appear, we lessen our identification with them and take on the role of the Observer. This gives us a chance to see thoughts more clearly, and have more of a choice of whether to go with them, or to just let them go.
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Adding awareness of thoughts to our mindfulness practice also increases the time we spend in mindfulness. Adding an object - thought - that can often take us out of mindfulness by being lost in thought - to our mindfulness practice itself.
Daily-life Practice
Coming back to this moment via awareness of action plus awareness of thoughts
As we go about our day today, we'll focus our awareness on whatever we're doing. When we notice we've been lost in thought, we'll bring our awareness back to whatever we're doing.
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We'll remember to notice when thoughts come into our awareness. We'll be aware of them, then return to the action we're involved in.
Formal Practice
Sitting with breath awareness as an anchor, plus awareness of thoughts
For our formal practice today, we'll take 20-30 minutes to sit, and be aware of our natural breathing, where it's most prominent in our body .
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As in our daily-life practice, when we notice that our mind has been lost in thought, we simply return our awareness to the breath , without judgment.
We'll remember to notice when thoughts come into our awareness. We'll be aware of them, then return to awareness of the breath.