Ease in Practice

In our meditations, we are asked to engage in different types of practice. We may be asked to rest the attention on an object; such as the breath. We may recall a benefactor or caring moment and let the qualities of that connection evoke those same qualities within us, feeling them arise in our own heart- mind. Then we may feel ourselves supported within the field of care evoked by those qualities. And, sometimes, we are led to rest in open awareness, choosing not to engage with what arises in the mind, allowing everything to be as it is, without preference or resistance to whatever arises.

These instructions sound very simple, but, as you all know, there can be difficulties that arise with any or all of those types of practice. The most common difficulty is that we find the mind drawn away from the practice by some thought of the past, or the future, or even about what we are doing in the practice in the moment, analyzing rather than just being with what arises. This can lead to long chains of discursive thinking where we are “lost in thought.”

However, at some point, we become aware of our distraction from the practice, and, as we have been instructed, we gently return our attention back to the practice. Simple, right?

…Simple, but not always easy.

A few years ago, I was given an instruction by one of my teachers. His instructions were, “Remember to notice the movement of the mind.” I thought this was self-evident. I always know what is going on in my mind. But this was not the case. As I applied this instruction in practice, I was surprised to see that there were very few times during meditation, not to mention during the day, that I was able to notice the movement or activity of the mind. I was usually too caught up in my thought activity to see how the mind was actually relating to what was arising.

Over some time, with continued diligence, it became easier to remember to notice the movement of the mind. One specific instance where I was able to apply this awareness was when I became distracted during practice and applied the instruction to “gently return back to the practice.” I thought I was just gently coming back to practice, but what I experienced was a subtle but violent force pulling attention away from the distracting thought and pushing the attention back toward the practice at hand.

It may seem odd to use the word “violent” in connection with the movement of the mind in meditation, but my attention was so caught in the distraction that force (however subtle) was needed to pull it away.

New instructions followed from my teacher: Release, Relax, Return.

When any thought arises, it comes with a feeling tone. That feeling tone can trigger our clinging or attachment to a thought, feeling, or storyline. This attachment comes with tension manifested as the mind holding onto the thought. This new instruction added a step in the process of dealing with distractions.

1. First, we Release our grip on the thought that drew the mind away. We intentionally let go of the need to cling to that thought, just like we would let go of ball and let it drop to the floor. We don’t have to push the thought away and we don’t continue to follow the storyline. We just let go of it.

2. Second (and this is the important addition), we Relax the body and mind. This is necessary to release any tension that was connected with the pull of that distraction. You can even let out an audible sigh on an exhalation and that may help you relax any tension.

3. Third, we gently Return our attention to the focus of our practice. Because we have released our grip on the thought and relaxed the body and mind around any tension, our return to practice becomes truly gentle and loving rather than critical and filled with tension.

This may seem like a lot of “work,” at first, but eventually, as with any practice we do, it becomes easier and more intuitive. The steps, which are numbered and sequential at first, eventually seem to flow easily as soon as we notice the distraction. And rather than three separate steps, the technique merges into one smooth releasing-relaxing-returning.

By returning with less tension in the mind, we drop back into our practice with more ease.

Remember: “Awakening is not easy, but without ease, it is impossible.”