[AdrianMember]

Hi Blake,

” I have a feeling that your attention is alternating between the breath and thoughts, analysis, and judgment about the meditation process. This may not allow much awareness of anything else. I went through a similar phase in my practice.”

This is pretty spot on. If peripheral awareness fades, it’s usually thoughts that are there, and yes, usually about the process. Doing the exercises mentioned, peripheral awareness is just ‘there.’ Indistinct, but there, without having to repeat the intention. Those are good analogies, they make sense.

“Intentions are important, but it sounds like you are trying to put another layer of effort and “doing” on top of them.”

Yes, I think I’m over-complicating intentions and I’m going to stop verbalising everything.

“I recommend moving towards simplicity as much as possible.”

I’m certainly going to try and do that. Like I said earlier, I think I’ve had a type of paralysis analysis. I appreciate you taking the time to explain these concepts to me.

[AdrianMember]

Thanks Blake,

In relation to labelling I spend a short amount of time working out if the label is correct eg am I thinking or planning? With see/hear/feel perhaps the labelling is more neutral so we’ll see how that goes. It’s probably another example of my overthinking TMI.

If I don’t renew my intention to keep peripheral awareness ‘bright’ it means I am not aware of sounds or body sensations. I try to then follow breath sensations amidst sounds/body sensations. Am I making sense? I have been spending more time on the first stage of the four step transition – maybe this will bear fruit. I’m going to study that clarification from Culadasa (again) .

Intentions are sticky. I thought repeating them helped me to return to the breath more easily? Again, I spend more time than necessary wondering which intentions to repeat (follow & connect; renew peripheral awareness; check in – quality of breath sensations/what was just happening?) Perhaps I need to stop mentally repeating these sensations as often as i do, if as you suggest, they should come naturally.

Sometimes, when I’m watching a movie or reading a good book, I notice my breath sensations. I can tune into them easily whilst I’m ‘doing’ the other task, and it feels like this is close to what I’m after. I think I’m still forcing the breath a little at times, so maybe that’s another part of the problem.

TMI does seem like a straightforward system if you stick to the given instructions; somewhere along the way I’ve overcomplicated it and I’m not sure where – somewhere inbetween 3 and 4 I think.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by  Adrian.

[AdrianMember]

@arieljoy & @dcurtis no problem, good to hear I’m not alone!

@tjansen I’ll go back and read the relevant sections, thanks.

@blakebarton Thanks for your response. At present when I label, it’s ‘thinking, planning or memory’. I’ve been reading about see/hear/feel – could I try that? Sometimes I feel that labelling generates thoughts. I do feel that I have to repeat my intention to maintain peripheral awareness every few breaths – it fades otherwise. I tried zooming out, then felt that I wasn’t devoting enough attention to the breath. I’ve found it very difficult to get that balance right; I thought it might have came right over time. I can hear sounds OK – it’s thoughts that lead me away.

@Michael_Dunn That’s interesting about intentions. I feel I have to constantly repeat mine every couple of breaths. It does feel jarring at times.

[AdrianMember]

Thank your for your replies Ted and Will.

Based on those descriptions, I’d say most of my meditations are concerned with forgetting rather than distractions. I have on a couple of occasions encountered the subtle distractions you mention, but only rarely. I don’t have a sense of attending to the breath in the background, nor have continious attention on the breath.

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