Multitasking Mindfulness Seems Easier When I'm Running

[LoveBeforeAllElse]

I don't know if it's from the runners high or what, but I can hold my focus on up to 5 things at once while I'm running. They are all things that I have put a lot of practice in being mindful of in the past, so that has to have a lot to do with it. I'm just wondering if anyone else has this experience or if it's just like this for me because I'm such a fitness fanatic! Last night I was having a nice 2 mile run around the track and started it by focusing on adjusting my pace and form to my breath instead of the other way around. That came super easy (as I've been running daily for over a month), so I decided to add one more aspect to my focus. Eventually I was able to hold attention on my breath, full-body (internally and externally), all of my vision (dreamers gaze) by just internally saying the word seeing, the music in my ears by internally saying hearing and focusing on my thoughts of amazement in the moment. I wasn't able to hold it all for longer than a couple mins at a time, but IT WAS AWESOME. I'm even more addicted to running now lol.

[Craftimina]

Hi

Not sure I would call your experience as 'multitasking' in this context. Multi tasking to me has rather negative connotations because what it does is fragment the mind: shortening the attention span and actually longer term, leading to more inefficiency rather than efficiency. The quality of focus and attention actually is eroded.

However what you describe to me sounds more like the ability to apply your mindfulness practice to a number of different foci moving from one to the other almost seamlessly. This is similar to some meditation practices where you are encouraged to change focus of attention and move to and from different objects of attention quite quickly - dipping in and out - so you may open up the attention outwardly to sounds and then inwardly again swiftly to the breath, then narrowly on an area of the body or sensation in the body and then on sound again. And it is quite possible to open up the attention so much and become so adept at moving in and out in this way that you can then allow more than one object to enter the meditative space - even if just for a moment. When this is achieved it can be quite an awe-inspiring experience (which to me opposes a mult-tasking one which is usually tinged with anxiety, stress or haste).

What do you/others think? Am interested in- this idea of multi-tasking versus 'multi-attention or multi-focus'....

[Gareth]

Great reply Craftmina,

You have really intrigued me actually. I have meditated before with lots of different attention focuses, but I have never tried a meditation where you constantly change the focus. I like experimentation, and I'm going to give this a go. I usually sit for 30 minutes, how often do you think that I should change focus?

Gareth

[rara]

Hi Gareth...I can answer that one.

This is part of my Taoist meditation. I tend to shift my focus spontaneously with what feels right, as you will acknowledge how your focus on one thing may open up many other doors to many other questions and places to explore. So just see what comes naturally.

I have been asking about this sort of thing myself though. Say I'm in a coffee shop...am I really practicing mindfulness if I'm taking a sip of my coffee while my company is talking to me?

[Craftimina]

Reply to Gareth and Rara

Yes I agree. My background is in Buddhist meditation practices - although no one has ever told me that this practice is from the Taoist tradition. But it's about just being with one focus that feels right to start with, then as you notice other things arising you may choose to allow that focus to shift to that area as Rara says. It may be a thought, a feeling, a noise outside, a physical sensation or noticing different ways the breath moves through the body (in breath, where it starts, or where you notice it enter e.g. chest or abdomen.

I used to think I should stick to one or two tried and tested methods that suit me. But I have become much more flexible in my practice now and often will do what feels right at the time or at a given period of my life. Sometimes I have a self-compassion or compassion for others focus, other times it may be pure mindfulness attention on the body sensations or breath...or a more emotion focussed practice. There are so many rich ways to explore, it's truly wonderful and it's free and it's natural and it's all within and a part of us!

[rara]

Sometimes I have a self-compassion or compassion for others focus, other times it may be pure mindfulness attention on the body sensations or breath...or a more emotion focussed practice.

Hehe, I think both schools probably just teach the same method as it tends to just work. After all, your subconscious is always trying to remind us what we should be focusing on at any given moment, so if you try and force yourself to focus elsewhere, you'll only feel uncomfortable

I like your example. It's like this weekend...I usually have a certain thing to focus on that's been on my mind for a while, or perhaps that day. But this time, my body was sick from working on top of flu symptoms. I wanted to meditate on some things to do with compassion etc, but my body was yelling at me to pay it some attention...so I did, and today, I feel the benefits! You gotta look after yourself before you can look after others, eh?

[Craftimina]

Absolutely Rara! We are best at knowing what we really need - as long as we are well atuned to ourselves. If you don't look after yourself you will not have the resources or inclinations to do any good for anyone else - whence breeds resentment, intolerance, fear etc...all the unsavoury characteristics which the human being is also capable of having!

[rara]

Back to what LoveBeforeAllElse was saying, and yourself Craftimina...on that, yes, I wouldn't call that multitasking. Multitasking is when my girlfriend is cooking, washing up and watching TV all at the same time - because she can...but, let's just say some things boil over now and then. So you're right, and it's funny, because I was doing this in Kung Fu the other day. Teacher was giving instructions while I was reaching in my bag for my sparring gloves...I was still listening, but he shouts "David, what are you doing?" I said "Multi-tasking...I am listening, just getting my gloves at the same time in preparation". His response, "in school we used to have a different definition for multitasking. It was called, not paying attention"

But similarly to LoveBeforeAllElse's comment, just like martial arts, in running, there are many things to focus on at once. At first I guess we break down, and are either only able to focus on the legs, then the breath, then back to the legs, for example. But after sufficient training like this...eventually, we program our subconscious into doing these things automatically, as one!

[LoveBeforeAllElse]

Craftimina, I understand exactly what your saying about the quality of things being eroded when we focus on more than once. I've certainly noticed that myself. I guess the thing that made this experience so amazing is that I found that I've grown capable of something that I wasn't before. The quality of attention wasn't as great as if I had been mindful of any one of those things individually, but there was still an amazing quality to them all and I was able to hold that state for a longer time than I though I would. Rara I know what you mean! It just kind of seems like all the actions blend as one on some level. I haven't heard of anyone doing what I described for a practice, but I have heard of people practicing full body awareness a lot and the way I see it sight and sound are extensions of my body. I guess I'll need to do some more exploring on my own and see what kind of effects I get. I'll always return to practicing keeping my attention on individual tasks though.

"There are so many rich ways to explore, it's truly wonderful and it's free and it's natural and it's all within and a part of us!" =]