Guided Basic Meditation To Train Attention

Deep changes in our being occur when we incorporate mindfulness into our lives. That is why stopping and becoming aware of the present moment can be a completely revolutionary act.

When we stop the mental flow of constantly doing and continually keeping busy, we give ourselves the opportunity to break through the layer of our mind to enter a deeper level of our being.

Normally we avoid going through that mental layer, since it is the layer that we have created throughout life to ensure an illusory sense of security.

We get that feeling by controlling the situations that come our way in life. In this way we stay in the known, in our personal comfort zone. Although most of the time it brings us frustrations, tensions, stress and anxiety, at least we know it well and that is why it makes us feel safe.

What can training my attention contribute?

Once we go through the mental layer we can access a truer version of our experience, since with practice we will also go through our perceptions based on unconscious dynamics.

Our attention is precisely the basis for increasing our consciousness.

When we leave the mental scatter behind and are able to focus our attention on the present moment, we become aware of what is really happening. We can, little by little, see what happens within us in certain situations or in the face of any external or internal stimulus. By becoming aware of our inner reactions, we begin to know ourselves much more, and self-knowledge is the first step to fully accepting ourselves with compassion.

It is also from self-knowledge and self-awareness that we can really choose our life. That is, from that inner place we can choose our actions in the face of the situations we experience, instead of reacting automatically and unconsciously to them. This gives us immense freedom and creative power.

How to Meditate to Train Your Attention

This is a very basic meditation to train your attention using your breath as an anchor to the present moment.

• Close your eyes and find a comfortable posture.
• Breathe deeply and on the exhale let go of what you were doing and what you are going to do next, and little by little you land in this present moment.
• Become aware of your heartbeat.
• Now focus your attention on the breath. Notice how it is flowing and watch it curiously. Let it follow its natural flow without the need to change it.
• Adapting to that flow, start counting your complete breathing cycles from 1 to 10.
• I inspire. I expire. 1.
• I inspire. I expire. 2.
• I inspire. I expire. 3.
• I inspire. I expire. Four.
• I inspire. I expire. 5.
• I inspire. I expire. 6.
• I inspire. I expire. 7.
• I inspire. I expire. 8.
• I inspire. I expire. 9.
• I inspire. I expire. 10.
• Start counting again two or three more times from 1 to 10.
• If at any time you notice that you get lost or lost in thoughts, nothing happens. Gently refocus your attention on the breath and start counting again.
• I invite you to continue training your attention with this meditation for as long as you want.
• When you feel it open your eyes.