April 2024: Focus
We can enrich our lives through skilfully choosing where we focus our awareness.
The richness of being
Is in every part,
And connecting
In all parts together.
Focus and Agency
If we tend to focus only on one aspect of our being we diminish the richness of life. We lose balance, and reduce insight.
Many people I work with mostly focus upon ‘talk’ in their heads - whether about the past, future, worries, irritations or day dreams. Others focus mostly on their feelings or physical sensations. Still others incline to outer awareness – of people, environment or technology.
We experience life differently according to our habits of attention. There is skill in choosing and shifting focus so we are not limited to one mode. There is life and learning in every aspect.
Richness lies in awareness of thoughts, feelings, body and the outer world all at once. That is being in the present.
take 5 …
Use long slow breaths in and out. Whilst breathing in, bring awareness to the inner world – notice your physical body and emotional state. If a thought should pop up notice that too (and let it pass). Don’t create these or dwell on them, just sense and recognise what is there inside as you inhale.
When breathing out, use your senses to tune-in to the world around you.
… and an experiment!
What is your habitual focus? You may need to reflect and watch your patterns of awareness to recognise this accurately.
Practice broadening your awareness to include other aspects of your being. Include both the inner world and the outer world of nature and people. Stay in the present, beware of the ‘talkative’ mind or any other single focus that dominates.
If this is new to you, expect this to be surprisingly difficult. Regular meditation builds this skill. Mindfulness training helps too.
quotes …
The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper ~ W B Yeats
To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work ~ Mary Oliver
Mindfulness has, at its core, an intentionality in how attention and awareness are deployed… that is open, allowing and inclusive ~ Willem Kuyken
ps
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Roddy