Shifting attention to a new anchor

[LucidMind]

Hello all!


When I do mindfulness of breath, I focus my attention on the feeling of breath in my nose/nostrils, because it is usually the most salient place in my body where I feel my breath. However, sometimes I am tempted to "switch" my attention and focus it on the rise and fall of my belly, or my chest. Is it beneficial to keep practicing with attention focused on the same spot every time, or do you guys think it would be okay to experiment using other areas as an anchor too (like my belly or chest moving with breath?). What about switching anchors in the middle of a practice session (for example, starting off focusing on your nostrils and half way through shift your attention to you belly)? I could see that being a good way to make attention flexible...but I also could see how it would disrupt the flow of the formal session. I would love to hear your thoughts on this!

[piedwagtail91]

i sometimes switch.
i start at the nostrils and usually end up at the belly. it's just a different awareness or sensation.
sometimes i'll follow the breath on it's 'full journey' all the way in and all the way out noticing the slight pause between in-breath and out-breath, noticing if the breath is slightly warmer as it leaves the nostrils compared to when i breathed it in.
yesterday at the end of supervision after our first session my mentor just dropped on me by asking me to lead a sitting practice just for the teachers in the setting up time just before next weeks mindfulness and it's a point i'm thinking over - asking them to come back to a different anchor towards the end.
it'll be interesting to read all the replies to this one.
it may just help me decide

[FeeHutch]

I sometimes do. If I do a body scan meditation then it is based on the idea of focusing attention of each part of the body in turn so it feels fine to me

[JonW]

I do switch, from nostrils to belly to soundscape to bodyscape (imagining the breath flowing from head to toe, toe to head)...The mountain and lake meditations invite us to visualise those very things. JKZ's Choiceless Awareness is one of my favourite guided meditations. During that he invites us to focus on whatever we feel like focussing on. Sometimes I focus on the pulse of the universe and slowly immerse myself in that. Sometimes I'm deep in meditation and I'm not focussing on anything, though there's a perilously thin line between that and dozing off!
It entirely depends upon the mood of the moment.

[LucidMind]

Ahh, very interesting. I'm glad to hear that switching anchors is something shared by my fellow mindfulness meditators. I just said in another post that I am always afraid that I am "doing it wrong", but the good news is I am becoming increasingly mindful of those thoughts every day. It's tough though, because mindfulness is a practice that has been perfected by monks and zen masters for thousands of years, and there is a "right way" to do it (proper anchor, proper posture, proper attention, etc), but there is also so much room for individual variation and custom technique.

It helps to explain why there are so many different types of meditation!

[BioSattva]

I have heard a mindfulness teacher quote an ancient Buddhist teaching stating that one's attention should remain "in the neighbourhood of the breath". I like this because it gives some flexibility so that one can explore this neighbourhood while seated - in a body scan kind of way.

I recall Thich Nhat Hanh says that as long as one knows that one is breathing - one is consciously aware that the breathing is taking place somehow, then this is all that is necessary for being anchored properly in the present.

[JonW]

I think we should be a little careful about assuming that mindfulness as a practice has been "perfected" by anybody, including Siddhartha. "Know for yourself," he famously said. Perfection would be the ultimate goal and this is not, let us remind ourselves, about seeking goals.
In the wise words of Richard Gilpin, "Mindfulness meditation is the formal practice of observing how the mind behaves. It is also about learning how to make a gentle shift from the mind's automatic reactions to a more deliberate 'holding in mind' of psycho-physical phenomena as they arise and pass away. This allows us to respond more wisely and compassionately to what is going on in our lives."
In terms of that response, each of us finds the "right" way, the way that works for us. But I'd argue that this is never something that is set in stone. Like everything else in life, it is constantly changing. It's a constant dance. We need to move with it, in open sensitivity. It's a beautiful thing.

[Gareth]

Hi Lucidmind,

I would definitely recommend experimenting, find a way to practise that is right for you. Mindfulness is most often taught as an awareness of breath, and while I do sometimes meditate to my breath, most of my meditations are sound-based. Either some gentle ambient music, or just the sounds around me. Today I meditated with my bedroom window open, listening to the sounds of spring outside. This type of meditation always feels more natural to me, although I do like to experiment to this day.

There are many ways to practise mindfulness.

[LucidMind]

I recall Thich Nhat Hanh says that as long as one knows that one is breathing - one is consciously aware that the breathing is taking place somehow, then this is all that is necessary for being anchored properly in the present.

Wow...Thich Nhat Hanh never ceases to amaze me his powerful and inspiring quotes and metaphors. I really like that one, and i'll definitely keep it in my mind if I start worrying whether or not I am feeling my breath correctly. Thanks for sharing!

[LucidMind]

Hi Lucidmind,

I would definitely recommend experimenting, find a way to practise that is right for you. Mindfulness is most often taught as an awareness of breath, and while I do sometimes meditate to my breath, most of my meditations are sound-based. Either some gentle ambient music, or just the sounds around me. Today I meditated with my bedroom window open, listening to the sounds of spring outside. This type of meditation always feels more natural to me, although I do like to experiment to this day.

There are many ways to practise mindfulness.

Thanks for your advice Gareth. I'll definitely start experimenting with different anchors. Sometimes now I try to "connect" my attention on the breath in my nose and the movement of my belly, and follow the breath at these two different anchors. I really like it!