What is the focus of mindfulness meditation?
So that’s a very good question. And I think it relates to the foundation of mindfulness meditation which is really the art of learning how to pay attention. Usually our attention is very scattered in the present moment. We’re thinking about to-dos, should-have-dones, would’ve dones and all the storylines that we have of ourselves and others.
This dispersion of our attention can cause a lot of anxiety and stress and tension. We can get worried sick about an event five years in the future that hasn’t even happened yet. So meditation is learning to pay attention to the consciousness, to the state of mind, of the present moment, just as it is, without judgement or bias.
And why do we do that? Well, it turns out that there’s a lot more space, clarity and strength available for us to access in the here and now. Our life starts and ends in the here and now; the present moment is all we have.
There’s many ways to bring our attention to the present moment, to practice that ability, which is innate in us.
We just need a bit of help in knowing how to do that. A way to bring our attention to the present moment is by focusing on what are usually called “objects of concentration”. In mindfulness mediation, our object of concentration is the breath. This means that everytime we become aware that we’ve bene distracted, we label thoughts as thinking, and return our attention to the sensation of breath.
So why the breath? Well, the breath is synonymous with the present moment. Our inhales and our exhales determine the flow of our lives. So the breath is a very good anchor that keeps us rooted in the present moment.
Back to your question on the focus of meditation. As we’ve seen, the focus on the breath also turns out to be the focus of the present moment. If we are able to bring our attention to the gentle sensation of breath, then we’re also bringing our attention to the present moment. They’re inseparable from one another.
As for noticing sounds and smells during meditation…sounds and smells and all the other senses are part of our experience of the present moment, and they all play a role in our wellbeing
Meditation is not an attempt to numb or suppress any of these senses, but rather to allow them to manifest in their fullest expression. When I say “fullest expression” I mean an experience in which we don’t take the commentary that accompany our sensory experiences so seriously. For example, you don’t have to consciously say “I am tasting this watermelon now” or “I am listening to this bird now” — it all just happens by itself.
So if you are meditating and a particular sound, say, the sound of your cousin singing (very badly), is distracting you, and you start thinking “Oh, God, I can’t wait for this to be over” or “I really hate that sound” just treat that commentary like you would any other thought. Label it as thinking, with as much compassion and care you can muster in the moment, and return your attention to the present moment, which includes the sound, but is not bound by it.
And you’re going to have to return your attention to the present moment — to a non-judgemental, all inclusive place — many, many times. But that’s totally okay. Over time, with practice, you will be able to get to a point where you can be perfectly at ease with the sound of a loud drill or a baby’s laughter. And that will be a very powerful experience, because it will be an experience of true freedom.
