It’s a funny phrase, isn’t it?
Most of us know that we could be more attentive to the task at hand.
I once heard that our average attention span has come down from 40 minutes to goldfish levels of around 7 seconds.
Gulp!
What is it for you?
How long do you last… until the mind wanders off?
The obvious culprit is our modern life with associated technological trappings.
It has become normal to walk around with a relatively cheap gadget in our pocket that has more processing power than a 1980s super-computer.
Powerful times.
Scary times.
It is hard it is to stay focused… ‘Pay attention’ seems an apt term. It certainly feels like you have to fork over a large investment to keep the mind on task.
90% of readers have probably already closed this email and are onto the next.
I dare you to keep reading all the way to the bottom (…do dare’s still work?!)
I once remarked to a friend (without much forethought) that the two most precious commodities we have are; time and attention.
I’m still establishing the veracity of this claim, but suffice it to say that both time and attention are pretty bloody important (given we aren’t really alive without either of them.)
So, I ask this Monday morning…
1 – What do you pay attention to?
and
2 – How long does your attention lasts on the object of your focus?
To get the ball rolling; my honest answers.
1 – Too many things, often all at once!
and
2 – So frequently, not long enough!
I’m better than I used to be, like waaay better.
These days when I’m being harsh, I measure myself against what I know is possible.
When you realise that people have literally sat in meditation for weeks at a time, the whole game of paying attention shifts.
Some days I wish ‘paying attention’ was as easy as ‘deciding to focus.’
It would be great to be able to set your mind like the dial on the oven… and then come back when the cake is baked.
If paying attention were as easy as this… my desk, car, garden and life would always be tidy and all of my problems would be solved (newsflash; they aren’t!)
The never ending demands on our attention, the changeable nature of life, coupled with the complex family, social and working lives we live can have us spinning in circles.
It can be difficult for me to tend to ‘the important things’ that ‘I know I should.’
How about you? Is your capacity to be present less than you’d like?
This is the reason why I persist at my meditation practice.
It helps me pay attention.
To my daughter and sons growing before me eyes.
To the person I find myself in front of.
…and most importantly, presence helps me hear the voice of my Soul.
Himalayan Yogi’s buck this modern trend of eternal distraction.
Many live a life of severe austerity and deep penance; frequently their abode is a remote cave where they live naked and forage for food in the jungle.
Meditating.
Hanging out.
Living.
I presume that there is a sense of being ‘mindfully present’ whilst doing all of the above.
Certainly no temptation to check insta or distractions of the latest fashion.
There is a part of me that is drawn to such extreme pursuits.
But does freedom only exist in a Himalayan cave?
In many periods of my life I have lusted after a sojourn away from the notifications, the constant beeping, the traffic, the emails (oops that’s me hassling you today) and the other demands on my time and attention.
But that would be called running away.
So I do my humble best to juggle life as a householder (that is, someone living a ‘real world’ life) and also as a Yogin (one on the path of Yoga.)
Instead of spending weeks in a cave… I sit for a whopping 30 minutes.
I warm the body with some gentle Hatha Yoga movements.
I listen to devotional mantra, sometimes I chant.
I endeavour to be present with my Soul as much as possible.
In my practice, time and time again, I realise how turbulent my mind is.
“Damn! I thought this spiritual stuff was meant to silence the mind….”
Over the years, I’ve learned that this outlook… is completely wrong!
Practice is a reflection.
A mirror.
Yes, it will help get the mind quiet (eventually,) but not in the way you think.
It can be hard to look into the mirror because in you can see your blemishes.
I am forced to witness the busyness of mind, which often feels like it is going to tear me apart.
But this reflection is vital to the cultivation of peace.
Practice isn’t an escape, it shows you what you’ve got inside.
As you learn to carve a path through this inner jungle, who you become in the process is way more interesting than any one vine that entangles you.
So too with the path of Yoga.
No single stretch, mantra, meditation or thought is overly important; but cultivating yourself into someone who regularly ‘show’s up’ certainly is.
On this journey, Himalayan Meditation has been a godsend.
It is my rock.
Even if my mind resists, my Soul knows that it is the goods.
Himalayan Meditation boils down to one word…‘Samarpan’ (Surrender.)
Surrender means letting go of expectations… which includes that pesky expectation for a balanced mind.
Ultimately, Surrender means giving zero F’s… about any thought or sensation; be they traumatic or sublime.
Ironically though, Surrender doesn’t mean giving up.
It means showing up… and loosening the grip.
And from that looser place within, clarity emerges and you can do what is right as guided by your Soul.
An example;
Are you still reading this?
Honestly, I don’t mind (guess we wouldn’t know if you weren’t!)
If you are one of the 90% that has bumped on to the next email (or the .1% that will write in to complain that my email is too long or that I send too many emails) similarly… I don’t mind!
Years ago, I would have been ‘hoping’ that you would still be reading… because I needed approval.
These days, I am content to just pour my heart out… for the sake of pouring it out.
When I do this, I attract those who are meant to connect (and as if by magic, it also repels those whom I meant to avoid – yay!)
The fact you are still here does bring a smile to my face.. and I hope yours too (yes, there is an actual Soul who wrote this – it is way too meandering to be written by ChatGPT.)
Faith is one of many fruits I credit to the Himalayan Meditation practice.
Persistence with that practice has helped me form a sacred worldview.
Yep, I said it….Sacred… not scared.
Holy.
Divine.
For some of us though, the sacred is scary (it was for me!)
I say ‘Sacred’ because Himalayan Meditation has forced me to make my peace with God (often by witnessing my resentment or judgement towards Him/Her.)
For those that are less ‘theistic’ (ie you don’t believe in God) and dig ‘the universe’ vibes… Himalayan Meditation will help you to feel that you are a part of ‘the universe.’
If you are into ‘nature,’ Himalayan Meditation will force you to feel a profound connection to the here and now of life on planet Earth.
How does it work?
It’s a mystery… But one thing I know, it works it A$$ off!
Time and time again a simple (and often brutal) sit for meditation leaves me better than when I went in.
If you want my full answer on the how / why Himalayan Meditation is my go-to; it’ll take me 5 days on the Soul retreat to do it justice 😉
Meditation has taught me to sit through the craziness of my mind (instead of trying to ignore or run away from thoughts or feelings.)
And surprisingly, as I pay attention to what is going on, things get better.
BOLD CLAIM; In the process of witnessing pain, it is greatly diminished.
Go on, try this one on for size.
Sit still in an uncomfortable position for 5 minutes.
Something will probably start to hurt.
Watch.
Listen.
See your response to the discomfort.
What makes it worse… and what makes it better?
For me, when I pay attention, the pain is diminished. When I try to ignore it, it gets worse.
I see it. And then I see through it.
I hear it, then I hear something beyond it.
This is difficult to put into words… it is an inner feeling.
How is it for you?
What has arisen from my practice is the capacity to let go of not just painful sensations in the body, but the pain of negative thoughts in the mind.
These used to spiral me into a week-long funk. Or would have me gripped by anxiety.
What is the value of this freedom from my mind?
Well, I wouldn’t be here without it… so for me, it is literally priceless.
Equanimity (balance/peace) is a gentle phenomena.
No confetti or balloons get released when you attain a state of inner peace. You just simply start rolling with life (instead of fighting against it.)
There is no clear finish line. It is a gradual dissolving of ‘the race.’
Like the old adage goes… “Enlightenment is the ego’s greatest disappointment.”
Interestingly, at the start of my writing this Monday morning, I looked up the etymology of the word ‘Pay.’…
Would you believe that it comes from the Latin word ‘pax,’ which means, (drum roll please) … ‘peace.’
Pay = Peace
Hidden inside the phrase ‘Pay attention’ is a hint to the fruit that it will bring.
Peace.
The method.
Pay Attention.
This week I invite you to see how the act of ‘paying attention’ has the potential to bring you peace.
You might need several tries.
Or if you are like me, you may need a billion.
What matters not is how long your attention span is, but that you keep coming back when you lose your focus.
Winning is persistence.
Over and over and over again, keep coming back home.
Out here, we call that place of inner peace, the Soul.
I thank you for paying attention and trust that you are better for having spent your precious ‘peace dollars’ with me 🙂
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I pray that this week is full of presence and that in the sea of chaos you find a safe cove of peace within.
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If you are seeking instruction on Traditional Meditation and Yoga in a down to Earth but spiritually uplifting environment, I’d love for you to join the Soul Retreat.
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Upcoming Soul Retreats:
28th December to 1st January 2024
November is almost full and December is filling quickly, please get in quick if you’d like to secure your place as both retreats will sell out.
Jai Atmeshwar!
Victory to the Divine Soul
