Technique to not lose peripheral awareness

[B LejonMember]

I think I understand the difference between attention and peripheral awareness and don’t ask for explanations on that since they are everywhere.

What I think is not so clear is how to actually practice it and I believe this is the biggest problem in meditation and should’ve had an own chapter on how to practice it correctly. At least me when I try the TMI method I end up shifting back and forth between the two until both are lost and I just end up confused on what my goal is, how much attention on the breath, how much being aware of the peripheral. This is going around in circles for me and can’t seem to find the right balance.

Well, I’ve been practicing anapanasati sutta a bit and by some translations of stage 3 you breathe from a center for example your nostrils and out through your whole body and that connects the sensations of the breath with the awareness of everything else, since sounds, feelings and all is in the mind/body. This get me to a stable attention on the breath while having a stable peripheral awareness at the same time. I would like to try Culadasas method since it’s more detailed than the anapanasati sutta but I can’t really put this in to practice by only “following the breath sensations at the nostrils without losing peripheral awareness”. That instruction is to vague for my retarded/complicated brain, I need more detailed explanation on how to practice it (not more explanation on the difference between attention and peripheral awareness).

Is there an exercise or technique in TMI to connect peripheral awareness with attention that I’ve missed? Or is it ok to use the “breathing out awareness in the whole body” exercise from anapanasati sutta?

Is there a Culadasa approved technique to connect the two?

[Blake BartonKeymaster]

Please start with the following exercise. Hold one of your fingers in front of your face, and with your eyes open, put your visual attention on the end of your finger. Hold your visual attention there for 10 seconds. Now recall if you were aware of anything else in your visual field during that 10 seconds? Was it clear or fuzzy?

The same process happens with our other senses. Now rest your attention of the sensations of breath at the nostrils for about 2 or 3 breaths. Afterwards, recall what else you were aware of during that time. Were you aware of any sounds, other body sensations, or thoughts during that time? Were they clear or fuzzy. If something else became clear during that time it probably means that your attention alternated which is natural. If things were sort of fuzzy in the background (like peripheral vision above) then they were in peripheral awareness.

If you did not notice anything other that breath sensations during that time, you were holding your attention too tightly on the breath. Try having the intention to be a little more spacious. Like stepping back a little bit from the breath.

Just as you don’t have to try to notice things in peripheral vision, you don’t have to try to notice other sense impressions in your peripheral awareness. You merely need the intention, and some periodic recollection. If you try to see if you have peripheral vision while your attention is on the breath then this will cause an alternation of attention. This will result in your following statement “when I try the TMI method I end up shifting back and forth between the two until both are lost and I just end up confused on what my goal is”

Another way to thing of it is that your breath will be the center of your attention and everything else will be in the background. If something else moves to the foreground, then that means your attention alternated, and you just gently move it back to the sensations caused by breathing while letting everything else be in the background.

I recommend trying the following guided meditation by Culadasa.

https://soundcloud.com/culadasa/sit-breath-wake-up-2?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Culadasa+%28Culadasa%2C+Dr.+John+Yates%29&utm_content=FeedBurner

Blake – Dharma Treasure Teacher

[Meshe MooetteMember]

Appreciating the “aha” moment when there is a spontaneous return to clarity (returning from either dullness or agitation) works very well to affirm intentions to maintain peripheral awareness while attending to breath sensations. This skill (something that we must repeat again and again in each sit) is practiced in stage 2
-3, and results in the continuous introspective awareness experienced by the end of stage 4.

So without getting agitated during a sit with wondering about the “right balance” between attention and peripheral awareness, try simply reinforcing spontaneous introspective awareness by appreciating the moments-of-return when the balance is present.

Hope this helps and addresses your specific concern, Meshe

[Meshe MooetteMember]

Also- if you are able to consistently experience stable attention with continuous introspective awareness using the method you described- perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate your goals and try some stage 4-5 practices?

[B LejonMember]

Thanks for your help!
I think I now have a better view on how clear the peripheral awareness is supposed to be to not be attention and will train to keep it like that.

I thought I would start TMI from the start since I’ve already had some concentration but the exercises in the early stages kept me there since this attention and peripheral awareness relationships is not as direct and automatic as breathing awareness through the whole body. But when I find this balance then maybe I can move up faster through the stages but I want to understand this basic part first.

[MagnoliaMember]

I will do that meditation again 🙂
and think:
“Another way to thing of it is that your breath will be the center of your attention and everything else will be in the background. If something else moves to the foreground, then that means your attention alternated, and you just gently move it back to the sensations caused by breathing while letting everything else be in the background. ”

I have been thinking that I am on my way to stage 4 for half a year now. But recently sensing more joy in practice and also periods (30 sec maybe) of more effortless attention.

I will try the above stuff. Thanks.

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