A shared practice
Focused Attention & Open Awareness
S
Created bySean Fargo
Day 25 of Sean's original 28-day mindfulness series — recorded in his own voice.
In Sean Fargo’s own voice7 min
Read along — the full script
Mindfulnessexercises.com. Your 28-day mindfulness challenge. Day 25. Focused attention and open awareness. Let's begin by taking a moment to allow the body to settle. Find a comfortable position that allows your spine to be long, but with a natural curve in the lower back.
You can close your eyes or keep them open with a soft gaze downward a few feet in front of you. Let your belly and your shoulders relax. And today, I'll guide you through a meditation that alternates between focused attention and open awareness.
In focused attention, we keep directing our attention back to the breath. In open awareness, we expand our awareness to include whatever is arising with an attitude of curiosity and spaciousness. So before we start, take a full breath in through the nose, and a long breath out through the mouth.
Allow your breath to find its natural rhythm in and out. Just relaxing with the breath. And as you breathe, the breath can be like an anchor or a foothold as you observe what's happening around you. And as you allow yourself to notice whatever is arising, you can decide for yourself if you wanna dial up or dial down how aware of the breath you are in any given moment.
In open awareness, thoughts, sensations, feelings, and sounds will come and go. Some will float by like clouds in the sky, and others will be sticky, taking us for a ride. But whatever arises, try to just notice them, watching them arise and pass away.
If you start to feel distracted, you can ground yourself by focusing on the breath again and then returning to open awareness. And now bringing your attention back again to focus on the breath, letting awareness of other things fade to the background. Breathing in and breathing out, focused on the breath.
Simply aware of each inhale and exhale. And taking a moment now to appreciate your effort in doing this practice, directing your mind, resting sensations without judgment. Remembering that you can connect with a sense of open awareness as you go through your day, and you can come back to the focused attention on your breath to find calm in the body and in the mind.
Now let's finish this open awareness and focused attention practice by taking a full breath in through the nose, and a long breath out through the mouth.
More from Sean Fargo
Make one of your own
This practice was written and narrated with Mindfulness Exercises Pro. Yours takes a few minutes to make.
$0 today · cancel anytime · your work stays yours
Or describe one in the composer — the trial composes it
Just here to listen? You can ask for a practice made for what you’re carrying — a hard week, a racing mind, a night you can’t sleep — and hear it back.
Tell us what you need →Free · no account