Mindfulness Exercise #1

Close your eyes. Take some time to make sure you are comfortable.

Concentrate on your breathing. Pay attention to its rhythm. Do not try to change it. Just watch the way it comes in, and goes out.

When you breath in, try and breathe through your nose. When you breathe out, try and breathe through your mouth. Don’t worry if you cannot.

Let the air enter your lungs and then, without effort, let yourself exhale, long and slow.

Free, relaxed inhale.

Long, slow exhale.

Slowly, and without effort, let your exhale lengthen. As the air from your lungs is pushed out, gently (gently!) tighten your abdominal muscles until you’ve squeezed all the air out. Then let in a free, relaxed inhale, all the way down into your abdominal cavity. Keep breathing.

How are you feeling? A little more relaxed? Pay attention now to the tension in those muscles. As you breathe out, let those muscles slowly relax. When you breathe in, with a free, relaxed inhale, some of that tension will come back in. That’s alright. Just focus on relaxing your body as you exhale.

Begin to notice your mind. How is it? Are you stressed? Is it moving too fast? Pay attention to the pattern of the movement of your thoughts. Let them run. When you find yourself becoming distracted, notice this and gently bring your mind back to this exercise.

Now listen to your surroundings. What can you hear? Are there any hums outside? Dogs barking? Traffic?

Listen to it all and let it wash over you. Try to hear the sounds without thinking about them. Hear them as sound, not as meaning.

Bring your attention back to your body, now. Are you still comfortable? If not, adjust until you are. Pay attention to your skin, and the sensations that it is experiencing. Is it warm? Is it cold? Feel the pressure against it — the pressure of your chair, or the pillow. Feel the weight of your body.

Take a few minutes.

Move your attention deeper into your body. What can you feel? Can you feel the blood pumping relentlessly through your arteries and veins? Can you hear the dull, persistent beating of your heart? Notice how this tireless engine fills you and animates you. Imagine the network of dark, visceral threads that spreads through you, that keeps you warm and living. Can you feel each throbbing pulse as the blood drives through your muscles?

Bring your attention back to your lungs. Your lungs supply your heart. Every breath in fills those fibrous sacs. But notice how your muscles must pull and push at your lungs to make them work. Feel the muscles distorting those bags in your chest. Notice the cycle.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

You cannot stop any of this. It all continues without your direction.

Take a deep breath and hold it. Feel the pressure of it in your chest.

Keep holding it.

Keep holding it.

Do you feel the rebellion of your body, that mounting pressure as you refuse to supply it air? Are you sure that it is the body rebelling against you? Perhaps holding your breath is an act of rebellion against the body? If that is the case, notice how futile your act of rebellion is.

Let the air back into your lungs. Sense that relief. How does that feel? Perhaps your body is rewarding you for obeying it.

Broaden your focus, now, and pay attention to the whole of your body. Notice the weight of your body. Notice its physicality. Notice the endless sensations, the little muscle and joint aches, your gut churning away, how the external world feels, smells and sounds. What is paying attention to the body? Is that your consciousness? Does your consciousness feel in control?

If you told your body to stay here, in place, forever, what would happen? First, you’d get bored. You’d tell yourself how stupid the exercise was, and how you had things to do. You have people waiting for you. You have a schedule. You are somebody. But you know none of that is forcing you to get up. You could continue to sit here, couldn’t you? But you want to get up, don’t you? Are you sure this is your consciousness speaking?

If you still refuse to get up, your body will try other tricks to bring you in line.

Perhaps your stomach, endless sucking tube that it is, will start growling at you. You’ll feel that hollow need of hunger rising. Are you thirsty? Your mouth is dry, pasty. You can taste it. You can almost imagine that cold, refreshing glass of water trickling down your throat.

Your muscles become uncomfortable. They want you to stand up, or to adjust your position. The discomfort will increase, until they feel like they are on fire. A little movement would be all that it takes to bring relief. Are you able to resist that?

Your bladder is full, perhaps. Notice that uncomfortable ache. It wants you to attend to it. Ignore it. If you find that you can’t, let it go. Let those muscles relax. Feel the warmth as it spreads across your legs. Notice the shame that rises in your gorge. What wants you to feel ashamed?

Perhaps your body decides that it will go to sleep. It knows that you will be more compliant after it has had a chance to tinker with you. Notice the weight on your eyelids. Notice your thoughts becoming slow and drowsy. You might be able to resist it for a while, but sooner or later you’ll find your head nodding. You’ll want nothing in life but to close your eyes and get comfortable.

Do you think you will wake up ready to continue the fight? Or will your body heat up, agitate your mind until you feel you must do something or scream. Do you still feel in control?

Oh, you say. I choose to stand up. This is silly. I am not a puppet — I’m merely going along with my body’s polite suggestions as I go about my day. We are a partnership, my body and I. I am free to choose whatever I like. I am somebody.

Notice that flicker of doubt when you say that. Notice all the compulsions that drive you forwards like a battery-powered bunny. Notice the feeling of being a trapped passenger inside a pulsing meat machine. Notice that you told yourself you didn’t need to try the experiment, that it was a ridiculous waste of your time. Who told you that? Are you sure it was you?

Perhaps it’s time to get up now. Perhaps it’s time to get on with your day. You have things to do. You have places to be. You have commitments. Perhaps it’s time to forget these thoughts.

You have agency.

You are real.

You are in control.

Open your eyes.