technique
What do I actually do during a mindfulness training? Am I doing it correctly? Why do I keep falling asleep? Can I practice mindfulness while lying down in my bed?
fine-tuning your practice
Q: What can I do to calm my mind some more?
A: Through regular practice, you will discover that it is impossible to stop thoughts, just like it is impossible not to breathe. Instead, how do we refine our relationship with our thoughts?
As you keep training, it will be easier to detect the distractions, and quicker to return back to your object of focus. This cultivates a stillness of the mind as your parasympathetic nervous system activates more often.
Q: What can I do to improve my alertness during my practice?
A: Start with a strong determination to sustain your attention for the intended length of time. Posture is also important. Ask a trained teacher for posture options.
Feeling drowsy or dozing off is normal. Unless you are sleep-deprived, your nervous system is settling down. Ensure that you’re in an upright posture. Try splashing some water on your face. You can also purposely take deeper breaths and keep your eyes open. If it helps, do some stretching before reverting back to the exercises. If you’re still unable to focus, postpone practice till later.
Q: How long should I meditate?
A: As a beginner, set a comfortable duration for yourself, between 3 to 10 minutes. It should be long enough to feel like you are having a mental workout. Formal training (aka meditation) is about being able to sustain your practice for an intended period of time.
An easy way to keep track of time is to use a timer (most smartphones have this feature) and gently end the training when the buzzer sounds.
If it feels challenging, if your mind feels unsettled, or you don’t get to the finish line uninterrupted, it is OK. This is not a race. Repeat or try again another time.
Q: When is the best time in the day for formal training?
A: Formal training is when you set aside a stretch of time in your day for a disciplined practice. You know your day best. Identify such a regular gap in your daily schedule when you won’t feel hurried or harried. Some students practice in the morning before their day begins, some at the end of the day. Other students shared that they have pockets of time during commute or after a meal.
As a beginner, set aside 3-10 minutes to practice, slowly extending that duration as you feel more confident in and accepting of your ability to stay with the present moment.
Q: Do I close my eyes when practising mindfulness?
A: If your eyes feel like closing naturally, allow them. If you wish to keep them open and your posture is upright, lower your gaze by about 45° for optimal comfort. Another option is to keep them slightly open.
Unless instructed by the teacher for a specific technique, there is no need to close your eyes. Keeping your eyes open aids in sustaining alertness. The advantage of having the eyes closed is having one less distraction — visual.
Q: Is mindfulness training only about focusing on the breath? Is there anything else?
A: Awareness of our own breath is a popular technique, very much like freestyle in swimming (front crawl stroke). It is easy to learn and can be practised any time, anywhere.
Our own breath offers us an instantly accessible object to focus our attention on. Besides that, it is neutral; there’s nothing to like or dislike about it. With the breath alone, we can train on patience, acceptance, curiosity, wonderment and gratitude.
Other popular objects to direct our attention to include our body, as well as objects and sounds from our surroundings. Other mindfulness techniques incorporate visualisation to help highlight bodily sensations, thoughts and emotions.
Q: What am I looking to experience during a mindfulness training?
A: What you are aiming for initially is having short moments of awareness. These little “oases” act as feedback that you are paying attention to what is going on right now. For example, with the technique “Awareness of Breath”, you are actively aware of sensations around your nose, chest or stomach areas – events that can only be happening right now.
Q: What should I be aiming for with regular practice?
A: In mindfulness training, welcome everything you experience into your ‘radar’ of clear awareness, whether they are pleasant or unpleasant.
With regular training, you should be able to differentiate between regular thinking and greater awareness. You’ll know when you are distracted or lost in thoughts. You’ll notice how random thoughts appear and disappear. Then you make an informed decision, instead of reacting or being mindless.
Q: Can I introduce other techniques or interventions during my mindfulness meditation?
A: Being aware of the breath is not a breathing exercise. When practising mindfulness meditation, suspend all other techniques (whether it is for relaxation, pain management, etc) and just welcome the moment-to-moment experience.
Q: I’m excited to learn more techniques from you. What is next?
A: Mindfulness training is more about regular practice. In other words, it’s not about adding more techniques under your belt. I encourage you to progress past the intellectual pursuit, and start experiencing your own workout. Stay with suitable or preferred techniques. From time to time, embrace the insights that emerge.
Q: When do I use the various techniques? Can I mix-n-match during my practice?
A: The techniques I teach serve to strengthen and improve overall awareness. Some techniques support greater focus (e.g. counting the breath); others take advantage of the environment you are in (e.g. mindful listening).
Pick a suitable technique and keep at it throughout a formal session. Staying with your choice also inculcates determination and acceptance.
Q: What is the purpose of training in a group?
A: Mindfulness training is a personal journey. You know best about your own body and mind.
Doing it alone requires discipline and determination. Mindfulness also invites the quality of self-kindness, so don’t be too hard on yourself.
When we gather to practice together, we support each other by committing and being accountable to that discipline. We also get to share and discuss our insights and challenges, as well as clarify the techniques.
Q: What is the correct posture for mindfulness meditation?
A: Comfort and safety are top on my list, whether you choose to sit, stand, lie down or move. You know your body best, what it has gone through, the structure, injuries, and idiosyncrasies. As you will be training your attention over a period of time, these two factors minimise distractions.
Some tips for the various postures:
If seated, maintain an upright (but not strained) spine for alertness. Imagine there’s a string tied to the top of your head and it is being pulled lightly upwards. While being on the floor offers stability (from a much lower centre of gravity), it is OK to practice while sitting on a chair, sofa or even the bed!
If lying supine (i.e. body is horizontal and facing up), you can sustain alertness by keeping your eyes open. If it helps, rest your gaze on a spot or object above you.
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