Question regarding noticing

[Scooter]

Thanks for the feedback guys. That makes total sense.

I will definitely use this technique of going to the breath only if I feel like I really need it.

[MiM]

"Perhaps you'll also find that at times your attention comes to rest naturally on the breath or body. In this case you are not so much anchoring your attention on the breath (or trying to hold it there), but just allowing it to rest there."

I love this line. That's exactly how meditation feels for me, when I enjoy it the most.

I like the continuation too. I always try find a space where I can let myself float freely for a while, when I'm at a pool

[Lee1984]

My view is that you don't need to stop using the breath as an anchor; but you might consider using it as a rudder or keel. In other words, you can return to the breath when the seas are getting too rough or the currents seem dangerous (beyond your current capacity to navigate safely).

I like this!

Even though I am very new, I think this is a perfect description of what I have been doing.
I concentrate on my breath and after some time (can be short or long) my mind has drifted without me realising.
Sometimes the thoughts are what I describe as relatively safe and easy to explore and look at further, but sometimes they are quite difficult and upsetting and I choose to move back to the breath and explore them more closely again at another time. Of course sometimes the thoughts complete before I even notice and I am automatically back at the breath, but I have decided that I am OK when each situation arises. I don't want to associate any negativity with any of them.

[JonW]

"Sometimes the thoughts are what I describe as relatively safe and easy to explore and look at further, but sometimes they are quite difficult and upsetting and I choose to move back to the breath and explore them more closely again at another time."

Week 5 of the 8-week mindfulness course is usually when we are invited to turn towards difficulty. I like the analogy of looking at the sun. If a thought or a feeling are particularly difficult at a given time, we might like to explore the edges rather than dive straight in - similarly we avoid staring straight at the mid-day sun.
Jon