Put Down the Doing (S3E4)
In a society obsessed with productivity and "doing" it can be really challenging to honor moments of stillness, even though these moments often hold vital wisdom for our well-being. This meditation is simple, yet can be challenging since. You'll be guided to put down the doing–seeking out the next instruction or thinking about the next thing to "do– and to direct your attention in a way that is mindful of whatever is attracting your attention.
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Transcript
Settle into a posture and into your practice. Invite your body to relax in places where you might be holding on or leaning into the next moment.
You can line the head up with the hips if you are seated or standing, or if you’re lying down you can let the head sink back into your support.
Notice, in these pauses, if there’s an urge to do. Perhaps there’s a subtle energy of waiting for the next instruction. These are all really normal responses. For this practice, we are simply putting down the doing. Simple ... but really difficult.
You can take baby steps towards this by allowing yourself to follow your attention wherever it lands.
The general idea behind this practice is not to direct your attention to be anywhere in particular. It might feel sporadic, but the difference between now and any other time is that you’re being mindful of what you’re paying attention to, as best you can.
For right now, all you need to do is sit, stand or lie here noticing what you’re thinking, hearing, feeling, how you’re breathing. You’re really just seeing where your attention is being drawn to.
Invite your body to relax again. Notice if you’re on guard, trying to ensure you’ll catch the next thing your attention is drawn to. Relax the body. Relax the effort.
Just notice what you notice and let go of the things that slipped through your fingers, or that you didn’t have the time to mentally note down. No big deal.
If you feel yourself searching again, even subtly, invite that energy to relax or you might even say something to yourself like: “I see you searching, thank you.”
If possible, for these last few moments, notice the pauses between whatever you’re noticing and just rest in that pause and that silence between sensations or thoughts. Allow yourself to be in that space however long it lasts, maybe a millisecond, maybe longer, or maybe not at all.
You can spend this last minute just resting here.
