A shared practice
The Wandering Mind
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Created bySean Fargo
From Sean's introduction-to-mindfulness collection — recorded in his own voice.
In Sean Fargo’s own voice4 min
Read along — the full script
Wandering mind. In practicing mindfulness, the mind will inevitably wander. As you start to look closely at the workings of your own mind, you're likely to see firsthand how often you're lost in thoughts of the future or memories of the past.
For example, when showering, you may rarely just experience the shower because you're thinking of other things. You've probably had the experience of driving somewhere and realizing that you hardly remember how you got to your destination. There are so many times during the day when you may not be present to what's happening.
How often are you actually in the moment while brushing your teeth, folding the laundry, or washing the dishes? In the practice of mindfulness meditation, you bring your focus to a particular object of awareness, such as the breath. After a short time of practicing, the mind will wander off.
This is normal, especially for a mind not trained in concentration. Your job is not to judge yourself, but simply to patiently notice and acknowledge the mind wandering, letting it be, and then gently bring the focus back to the breath. Most of us do this over and over, again and again.
Rather than berating yourself, think of it this way. If you weren't mindful, you wouldn't even know you had wandered off. The fact is, in the moment when you realize you were not present, you have just become present. It's that close.
Note that bringing the mind back to the present moment is as much a part of the practice as is concentrating on the primary object. It's important not to repress or suppress thoughts and feelings as they arise in the present moment. You are learning how to be with them as they are, rather than trying to force anything to be a certain way.
It's important to first acknowledge without judgment where your mind went, and then gently bring it back to the object of focus. Bringing the mind back after it has wandered has three main benefits. The first is that it provides training in concentration.
When your mind goes off and you bring it back again and again, gradually your concentration grows. The second benefit is that by coming back into the present moment and noticing where you drifted off to, you may discover that you're filled with self-judgment, worry, sadness, anger, or confusion, perhaps signaling that you need to pay closer attention to and deal with certain things in your life. The third benefit is that when you come back from wandering, you may realize you've been worrying or experiencing other distressing emotions.
You may then notice that you're also experiencing related physical symptoms, such as a clenched jaw or an upset stomach. By coming back into the present moment, you begin to directly see and experience the mind-body connection and how your thoughts and emotions express themselves in your body.
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