Meditation: Cultivating Deepened Focus and Stable Attention

30 minutes | This meditation is designed to help practitioners come to a greater sense of concentration in a 30-minute meditation. Based largely on the work of Culadasa in The Mind Illuminated, meditators are invited in stages to ultimately cultivate a sense of attention supported by background awareness. An analogy is that of carrying a full cup of tea through a crowded room. Attention is placed on the tea to prevent spilling. However, a background or peripheral awareness is extended into the room to prevent bumping into anyone. In a similar way, attention is placed on an object (e.g., some part of the breath, felt sense of contact). At the same time a background awareness is extended into the mind to prevent mind-wandering promote presence. A background awareness is also extended into the environment to maintain alertness and balance. Photo by Zachary Keimig on Unsplash