A Meditation Exercise For People Who Simply Cannot 'Quiet' Their Minds

In a warp-speed world, it can be difficult to entertain even the thought of slowing down for a meditation. The following mindfulness exercise, excerpted from The Art of Breathing: The Secret to Living Mindfully by Danny Penman, Ph.D., is an “insight meditation” that helps particularly distractible folks settle into themselves.

For thousands of years, people have used a simple breathing meditation to enhance spirituality and understand our place in the universe. This insight meditation also enhances creativity and clarity of thought while promoting a sense of peace and well-being. It encourages a sense of wonder, of awe, of curiosity—the foundations of a happier and more meaningful life—without a feeling of constriction, frustration, or shame that too often comes alongside trying meditation for the first time (or the thousandth).

Build a picture of how your body feels, beginning with your feet. Pay attention to both feet simultaneously for a few moments. Tune into the sensations, then move your attention to the ankles, the lower legs, knees, upper legs, hips, and pelvis.

When you realize that your mind has wandered, watch the thoughts themselves. It doesn’t matter whether they’re in the form of words or pictures, simply pay attention for a few moments and then return to the breath.

Notice how thoughts tend to melt away when you stop reacting to them, when you stop judging or criticizing them. Notice what happens when your thoughts momentarily stop; try to gain a sense of what it feels like; try to gain a sense of what the absence of thoughts feels like.

After a while you’ll realize that your mind has wandered away with itself again. When you do so, gently shift your attention back to the breath, and after a few breaths, begin waiting patiently for another thought or emotion to appear.

You may run through this cycle of mind wandering and refocusing countless times. It doesn’t matter. What matters is paying attention to your mind with all of its to-ings and fro-ings.

After 10 minutes or so, gradually begin to shift your attention to the world around you, becoming aware of the space around you. Open your eyes. Begin to move. See if you can maintain the essence of this clearsighted awareness as you move through your day.

The insight meditation works best if you practice regularly. Ten or 20 minutes a day, four or five days a week is sufficient.