A 12-Minute Breathing Meditation to Cultivate Attention

A basic mindfulness practice for creating more harmonious circumstances for ourselves, and for others, raising our awareness and stirring our curiosity.

Adobe Stock/ Drobot Dean

The simple act of paying attention is really the kindest thing you can do for yourself. When our mind is scattered it creates pain and disconnection, and that pain and disconnection gets picked up by others. It’s contagious. You’ve likely experienced what it feels like to take on that pain and disconnection from other people. The fact is, we’re sending it and sharing it all the time. But if each of us can take a moment or two to pay attention to where we’re at and what’s going on, that’s the kindest thing we can do. It’s being kind to ourselves and that kindness wears off on others. 

So that’s really what this last practice is about—a little bit of the basic breath-awareness practice, followed by a generosity practice.

  A 12-Minute Breathing Meditation to Cultivate Attention With Barry Boyce 12:00 A 12-Minute Breathing Meditation to Cultivate Attention Take a comfortable posture, wherever you are, seated in a chair or on a cushion. Sit up straight, but don’t stiffen your spine. Angle your chin slightly down. You can have your eyes open or closed. Now begin to pay attention to your breath…