The biggest challenge most people face in meditation is that their thoughts are more vivid than their direct experience of their body. This leads to an internal struggle where attention shifts between breathing and distracted thoughts. It’s crucial to learn not to get upset about being distracted, as freaking out is just another form of distraction.
Typically, we’re told to keep coming back to the breathing, but this method isn’t very effective at calming the mind. You can practice this for years and still struggle with staying absorbed in your sensory experience.
There are better ways to achieve a calm mind, and they’re simpler than you might think. Essentially, there are two main actions to focus on:
First, relax the muscles around your eyes and let your focus be gentle. This is what happens naturally when we’re relaxed and staring into space, but doing it consciously can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to relaxation.
When your eyes are soft, you become aware of your entire visual field instead of focusing intently on one spot. This openness extends to your internal experience as well, allowing you to sense your body’s inner states more effectively.
Previously, with narrowly focused eyes, you might concentrate on a singular aspect of breathing. Now, with soft eyes, you can notice many sensations related to breathing, making the experience richer and more engaging. Your mind becomes fully occupied with these sensations, reducing the need for distracting thoughts. When thoughts do arise, they become a small part of a spacious and open field of attention, making them less likely to steal your focus.
In practical terms, you can bring awareness to multiple points of breathing, like the belly, upper back, and nostrils. Alternatively, consider breathing as a wave-like sensation moving through your body or a three-dimensional experience involving the skin and other sensory inputs.
Continuous awareness of various sensations helps calm the mind. The key is to keep the eyes soft. Even if you get distracted, viewing your thoughts as a mindfulness bell can remind you to soften your eyes and return to your sensory experience.
Softening the eyes can significantly transform your meditation practice, making your sensory experience more vivid, engaging, and calming. It’s a technique that can be applied beyond meditation. Try it while walking, eating, or conversing with someone. This practice can bring a new level of calm and presence into your life.
Implementing the technique of softening the eyes offers a different approach to meditation, moving away from rigid instructions to embracing a more holistic experience. This method has helped people calm their minds and experience richer meditation sessions, even during everyday activities or at night to ease into sleep. Whether you’re new to meditation or returning after a break, softening your eyes can help regain the benefits of a calm, focused practice.
I appreciate the practice of softening the eyes. It helps reduce tension while watching screens or driving, and even assists in falling back asleep at night. This technique brings clarity and calmness to both meditation and daily life.
The journey of meditation often begins with focusing on the breath, and practices like softening the eyes can enhance this experience. It’s never too late to restart your meditation practice, and techniques like these make it easier to return to a centered, calm state.
Meditation, especially focusing on the breath, has been a foundation for many. Starting over after a break can be challenging, but softening the eyes can immediately reconnect you with your center, no matter what activity you’re engaged in. Welcome back to the practice, and may it bring you peace and clarity.