Basic Mindfulness Practice

To begin to do anything regarding conscious work you must have "Attention". Attention is the coin of the realm. My teacher Nancy Langmuir said, "if you want to make gold you must have some gold, this gold is attention."

This is a very different kind of Attention than what you think though. Under no circumstances assume you have this kind of attention. Trust me... you do not. People with years of practice will admit they only come to it through intentional and directed inner work. In this kind of attention you "know that you know" You must be attentive, but you must also be aware that you are aware. You must know where your attention is.

This is the basic practice Buddha taught ...

Take an in breath ... know you are breathing in...

Take an out breath ... know you are breathing out ...

Try labeling your breaths "In" and "Out"

Try to find where you sense breath the strongest.

My suggestion is try to taste or smell the oxygen in your in breath. There is a kind of tang or sharpness to it. Taste or smell the moistness of the out breath.

Feel the breath in your nostrils, and airways, on your upper palate. My suggestion is the sinus passages at the base of the nose, but one can use the tip of the nose or the diaphragm. The best place is where You feel it the strongest, so experiment.

Stay with it! Return to the breath immediately when your mind wanders.

Stay loose! Concentrating hard is counter-prodcutive. Do not try to "fix" your mind or your awareness.

Try not be rigid. Be kind to yourself!

The important part is to Return to come back.

Try to come back as soon as you can. Keep Returning. Remember to come back to your breath.

Be very very kind and very gentle with yourself and it will be quite effortless. Try not to become discouraged. If you do get frustrated take a step back, examine that mind state. Try labeling it “frustration”, try to work with it. Keep breathing easily and gently. Do not buy into it. Try not to identify with any negative mind state as "this is me".

If you can’t get it then try this. Count each pair of in and out breaths. Breath In, Count “1”, Breathe out, count “1’. Breath In, Count “2”, Breathe out, count “2’, etc. As soon as you lose track, start over.

Touchpoints

By also using a Touchpoint in conjunction with your practice, you can either stretch your intention to strengthen it, or you can

Hara

The Hara is located 3 finger widths below your navel, at the pit of the stomach. It is the gravitational center of the body, our focus for balance. This is the Tan-tien of Tai-Chi.

The Hara is the womb or alchemical flask where your Being is born. This is where the chemicals, elements or what have you of mental, physical and emotional impressions are stored and where overtime they ferment and recombine, if properly attended to via the medium of spiritual exercise.

Right Hand

The right hand is our giving hand. When we channel healing, energy is directed out via the right hand. It also refers to our left brain, the analytic side of the mind. Right hand refers to our intention, our positive wish, our desire to do good works, our masculine side. It corresponds to the sun and the alchemical element of fire.

Left Hand

The left hand is our receiving hand. When we channel healing, energy is channeled into our body via the left hand. It also refers to our right brain, the special side of the brain. Left hand refers to our intuition, our receptivity, our creativity, our female side. It also corresponds to the moon and the alchemical element water.

Just try to feel the life force in your hand, either in the nerves or the blood flow. If you can sense a steady tingling sensation you have got it.

If you can't feel anything try to "warm up" your hands by relaxing them.