Exploring Difficulty meditation

Sit for a few minutes, focusing on t he sensations of breathing, then widening your awareness to
take in the body as a whole (see Breath and Body meditation, p. 125). Then move to focusing on
sounds and thoughts (see pp. 143- 6). While you are sitting, if you notice that your attention keeps
being pulled away from the breath (or another focus) to painful thoughts, emotions or feelings, you
can do something different from what we have been practising up until now.

The first step is to allow the thought or feeling to remain 'on the workbench of the mind', so to
speak.

Second, shift your attention into the body, so that you become aware of any physical sensations that
are occurring alongside the thought or emotion.

Third, deliberately move the focus of attention to the part of the body where these sensations are
strongest. The breath can provide a useful vehicle to do this, so - just as you practised in the Body
Scan - take a gentle and friendly awareness to that part of the body by 'breathing into' it on the in-
breath, and 'breathing out' from it on the out-breath.

Once your attention has moved up close to the bodily sensations and they are centre-stage in the
field of awareness, remind yourself that you're not trying to change them, but to explore them with
friendly curiosity as physical sensations that are coming and going in the body. It may be helpful to
say to yourself inwardly: It's OK to feel this. Whatever it is, it's OK to allow myself to be open to it

Then, see if it is possible to stay with the awareness of these bodily sensations and seeing your
relationship to them. Are you trying to get rid of them, or are you able to give them your full
attention, breathing with them, accepting them, letting them be? It may be helpful to repeat
inwardly, 'It's OK. Whatever it is, it's OK to be open to this,' using each out-breath to soften and open
to the sensations.

If there are no difficulties or concerns coming up for you during this meditation, and you want to
explore this new approach, then, when you are ready. see if you can deliberately bring to mind a
difficulty that is going on in your life at the moment - something you don't mind staying with for a
short while. It does not have to be very important or critical, but something that you are aware of as
somewhat unpleasant; something unresolved. This might be a misunderstanding or an argument, a
situation where you feel somewhat angry, regretful or guilty over something that has happened, or a
worry about something that might happen. If nothing comes to mind, perhaps you might choose
something from the past either recent or distant, that once caused unpleasantness for you.

Now, once the troubling thought or situation has been brought to mind, allow it to rest on the
workbench of the mind, then let your attention drop into the body, and tune in to any physical
sensations that the difficulty is evoking.

See if you are able to note, approach and move up close to whatever feelings are arising in your
body. Become mindful of these physical sensations, deliberately directing your focus of attention to
the region of the body where the sensations are strongest, breathing into that part of the body on
the in-breath and breathing out from that region on the out-breath, exploring the sensations,
watching their intensity shift up and down from one moment to the next as you cradle them in
awareness.

You may wish to deepen this attitude of acceptance and openness to whatever sensations you are
experiencing by saying to yourself from time to time: 'It is here now. It is OK to feel this. Whatever it
is, it's already here. Let me open to it'

Then see if it is possible to stay with the awareness of these bodily sensations and your relationship
to them, breathing with them, accepting them, letting them be, allowing them to be just as they are.
Soften and open to the sensations you become aware of, letting go of tensing and bracing. Inwardly
say to yourself 'Softening, opening' on each out-breath.

And when you notice that the bodily sensations are no longer pulling your attention to the same
degree, simply return I 00 per cent to the breath and continue with that as the primary object of
attention.

If , in the next few minutes, no powerful bodily sensations arise, feel free to try 'breathing into and
out from' with any bodily sensations you notice, even if they do not seem in any way linked to any
particular emotional charge.