Anyone who has tried meditating knows that we constantly redirect our mind towards the sensations of our breath, fostering kindness, or focusing on another meditation object, only to find ourselves repeatedly distracted by random thoughts.
Our thoughts are oddly compelling, yet they seldom bring happiness. In fact, research suggests that distracted thinking actually causes suffering. We’re much happier when we stay mindfully engaged with our present experience.
The Buddha categorized distracted thoughts into five groups: craving pleasant experiences, ill will, anxiety, avoidance, and self-doubt. These five hindrances lead to unhappiness. So why do we continually get drawn into something that makes us unhappy?
Early Buddhist teachings mention “cognitive distortions” (vipallasas), such as seeing things that cause suffering as sources of happiness. This means our minds mistakenly believe that if we long for pleasure, it will come; that if we detest something, it will disappear; that worrying will solve problems; that avoiding discomfort will make it go away; and that doubting ourselves will somehow invite reassurance.
On a deep level, we’re convinced that distraction leads to happiness, even though it doesn’t. True happiness is found in mindful attention — focusing on our body’s physical sensations, feelings, and thoughts, and understanding how they interact to influence our wellbeing.
Observing our breath and other bodily sensations, and patiently returning to them when we get distracted, cultivates peace. This is the essence of meditation.
Peace resides in the body. That’s where happiness is. Here’s a simple practice to start:
First, allow your eyes to soften and relax the muscles around them. Let your eyes have a gentle focus. Then, connect with your body’s sensations, feeling the breath move through you like gentle waves.
As distractions arise, try to feel the thoughts in one direction and your body in another. During each out-breath, remind yourself to focus on bodily sensations with a phrase like, “Focus on the breath,” or another phrase you create. Change up the phrases to keep the practice from becoming mechanical.
Mindfulness rooted in the body supports all positive qualities. Let various positive traits come to mind and remind yourself that they flourish through body awareness.
As you breathe, let your words strengthen your intention to mindfully notice and appreciate your body. In the short term, these repeated reminders help keep your mind focused, reducing opportunities for distraction. In the long term, you might realize that the body, rather than distractions, is where peace and growth happen. Your attention will naturally be drawn there.
Wonderful article, it finally clicked regarding the hindrances! I’m excited to refresh my meditation practice with this insight. Thank you for sharing; it was brilliant and very useful. I’ve tried it this month and found it remarkably helpful, especially for journaling and recognizing distractions. It even helped me sleep better by settling my worrying thoughts.
In dealing with difficult emotions like grief or anger, this method is useful. Don’t avoid the emotion; focus on the bodily sensations. There’s always a physical and a mental component to these feelings. The mental aspect often causes additional pain, so dropping it to focus on the body can lead to peace.
Although the body may experience conditions threatening to health or life, mindfulness of the body helps us find peace, not the body itself.
I enjoy sitting in my backyard, listening to nature, and finding it a peaceful meditation focus, although traditional advice focuses on breath. Listening to sounds can create a spacious sense that calms the mind and helps connect more deeply with the body.
Thank you for this reminder to not keep all my meditation “in the head.”
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