joeawareness training and michelle levey_awareness training

8/13/2019 JoeAwareness Training and Michelle Levey_Awareness Training

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Awareness Training:Exercises for

Mindful Attention

by

Joel and Michelle Levey

MMIV Joel and Michelle Levey, WisdomAtWork.com

NIGHTINGALE-CONANT CORPORATION

6245 W. Howard Street Niles, Illinois

1-800-525-9000


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Welcome toAwareness Training:

Exercises for Mindful Attention

In these pages, youll find a series of practical, highly effective exercises to helpyou develop your powers of concentration and achieve laser-sharp focus in yourthinking.

For maximum effectiveness, try to practice these exercises for brief periods atintervals throughout the day. The exercises are designed so you can do them

almost anywhere, even if you have only a few moments available. You might beat your desk, or riding in a taxi, or just out for a walkbut by taking advantageof the techniques youll find in this workbook, you can turn previously unproduc-tive time into a powerful resource for sharpening your mind.

One word of caution, however: because the Awareness Training exercises requireyour complete attention, you should not perform any of them while driving orwhile occupied with any other task that demands concentration.

By making these exercises a part of your daily routine, you can enhance yourperformance and your enjoymentin every area of your life.



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Dear Friend,

Being able to focus your mind and keep your attention directed is really the foundation ofevery kind of mental training. Thats why we are so delighted to be bringing this program to

you. In The Focused Mind State , we have distilled the essence of over two millennia of innerscience teachings and technology along with the latest in mind/body and brain research.

As you listen to the program and follow along in this workbook, youll learn to think moreclearly, in a whole systems perspective. Youll enhance your ability to stay focused ontarget, and to find a dynamic balance of flow and flexibility in your daily life.

These mind fitness skills are truly basic training, vital for everyone. The improvedconcentration they help you develop will positively impact the quality of your life and work aslong as you continue to practice the skills.

So welcome to the adventure of The Focused Mind State! We certainly enjoyed preparing theguide and clearing the trail. Now its for you to explore the territory and enjoy your expanded

frontiers of self mastery.

Your friends,

Joel and Michelle Levey



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MASTERINGTHE QUALITYOF

YOURATTENTION

Can you remember moments in your life when the whole world seemed to shinewith a sparkling clarity? When everything your own thoughts, as well as thesights and sounds around youjust clicked into place, effortlessly? You didnthave to get things to workthey just worked, all by themselves.

For many people, those are the moments most worth living for. Those are thetimes when you really know all that youre capable of doing and being. Duringthose moments, you experience the focused mind state. By practicing the exercisesthat youre about to learn, you can gain the power to access the focused mindstate whenever you wish.

To begin, lets look at the three essential features that make up the focused mindstate, together with the techniques you can use for mastering them. These threequalities arefocus, flow andflexibility.

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Focus

For most people, the mind is like an ordinary light bulb, casting a diffuse illumi-nation over everything in view. But yo u r mind can be a bright spotlight, pin-pointing anything you choose with diamond-sharp clarity!

One of the most effective methods for attaining this optimum level of concentra-tion involvessynchronizing your breathing and your focus of attention.

Heres how it works. As you inhale, imagine that your attention is a bright spot-

light focused inward upon yourself. Then, when you exhale, imagine that youcan shine the powerful beam in whatever direction you select.

Breathe in and focu s , then breathe out and d i r e c t your complete attention onyour chosen target

FocusdirectFocusdirect

Many people find that this technique is made more effective when breathing andfocusing are linked to a simple movement or gesture. To see if this works for you,try some experiments.

As you inhale, make a drawing in motion with your hand. Then make a gestureof sending out when you exhale.

Or try making a circular motion with your right hand, bringing it to your chestat the fullness of your inhalation. As you exhale, point your right palm in thedirection you choose to focus your attention.

Heres another, even simpler, technique: curl your fingers inward as you inhalethen relax them outward as you release the breath.

Linking your breathing to a gesture will help you focus your attention in a tangi-ble way. Figuratively speaking, its a way to get a hold of your mind.



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Flow

The foundation of the Focused Mind state is the continuity of attention flowingeffortlessly from moment to moment.

To get the feeling for this, use the breath to help you focus your attention hereand now in the present moment...and as you exhale, allow your awareness toflow like an unbroken stream of awareness into this moment...each breath is likea stream of awareness. When the continuity of your concentration is broken,then simply return to the breath and let your awareness flow. With practice

youll be able to maintain the focus of your attention for longer and longer peri-ods.

Flow is a process of allowing a momentary focus of concentration to sustain itselfinto a period of continuous attention. As you experienced with the above exer-cise, your breathing can be an aid to mastering the ability to flow.

H e r e s another exercise. First, choose a focus for your attention. It can be aphysical object, or an idea. As you inhale, allow the focus of your attention tobecome more vivid. As you exhale, feel your attention flowing toward the objector idea youve targeted.

Use your continuous flow of breath to help create an ongoing flow of attention. Ifyou feel your attention wandering, use your next breath to refocus your atten-tion, and then let it flow again.

You can also add a simple verbalization. As you take a breath, think or softly sayto yourself, In. Then whisper Out as you exhale. If you like, you can substi-tute the words focusing and flowing, with receiving and radiating. Thesebrief mental notes are usually enough to quiet any distracting internal static.



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Flexibility

The third component in mastering the quality of your attention is flexibility. Bydeveloping mental flexibility, you can gain the power to move your mind throughan infinite array of tasks and functions.

Heres a simple method for enhancing your flexibility of thought. First, select aprimary anchor for your attention: it can be a letter on your desk, a presenta-tion youre planning, or even your hands folded in your lap. Focus your total con-centration on whatever anchor youve selected.

Now, intentionally shift your attention away from your anchor and focus insteadon some interesting object in your field of vision. Remember to use your breath-ing as an aid in directing your attention. After a moment of concentration on thevisual target youve selected, again shift your attention back to your anchor.

Over the next few minutes, alternate your attention between your anchor and aselection of sights or sounds in your vicinity. With practice, you can substituteinternal targets, such as thoughts or feelings, for physical objects.



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Mindfulness

Focus, flow and flexibility of attention are fundamental components of true con-centration. But theres a fourth quality of creative intelligence: mindfulness.

Mindfulness is the ability to know what youre mentally experiencing, and to rec-ognize the territory of mind that youre in at a given moment. Mindfulnessinforms you whether youre clear and calm, dull and sleepy, or alert and aware.The truly mindful quality of attention is a powerful antidote to the mindlessnessthat can cause so many problems in life. In every aspect of your life you can only

improve what you pay attention to.

To build mindfulness, learn to create concise mental labels for the objects of yourattention. Your mental noting can refer to internal experiences such as hungry,tired, tense or relaxed. It can also label internal qualities of experiencesuch as, planning or remembering, anger or joy. Finally, mental noting can relateto external, physical objects and activities. As soon as you notice that yourethinking about something, see how quickly you can mentally label the target ofyour attention.

As the power of your mindfulness grows and you see how your mind wanders

from one focus of attention or another, youll soon learn that you dont have tomentally jump onto every train of thought that goes by!



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Three Important Points to Remember

Here are three simple principles to follow as you learn to master the quality ofyour attention:

First, be aware of where and how your attention is directed. Identify and keeptrack of the concerns and questions that occupy your mind. Dont let them sneakup on you. Make them conscious.

Second, use this consciousness of your concerns to discover and create new

opportunities in your life. The questions you live with organize your attention,shape your intentions, and direct your actions. Becoming more mindful of all ofthese allows you to take advantage of possibilities or potentials that were previ-ously unknown to you.

Third, learn to be mindful of the flow of thoughts, inspirations and experi-ences passing through your mind. If these inner experiences are not what youwant them to be, then mindfully observe them and explore how you can enhanceyour experience of them. This is the real key to intuition and breakthroughthinking.

Most importantly, remember that the quality of your consciousness and the quality ofyour attention determine the quality of your life. By gaining greater awarenessand control of your mind, you can exercise greater control of your world.



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Next, open your eyes and scan forstraight lines

Close your eyes and return to your breath flow

Open your eyes and scan for different colors

Finally, go back to mindful breathing for a few moments.

* * *

As you practice this exercise, youll learn four important skills:

Youll build power and clarity of purposeful concentration.

Through the focused power of your attention, youll discover many newelements and dimensions of the world around you.

Youll strengthen the focus, flow and flexibility of your attention.

By becoming more mindful and purposeful in the focus of your attention,youll bring the functions of your mind more under your conscious control

and awareness.



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PERSONALENERGY

MANAGEMENT

In order to develop fully your powers of concentration, its important to banishevery kind of interference and distraction. Sometimes these obstacles are inter-nalfeelings of anger or fatigue, for example. But very often simple adjustmentsin your physical environment can be of great benefit to your mental functioning.

Posture

Research has demonstrated that the way you carry your body has a direct effecton thinking and concentration. Sitting in a comfortably upright position, forexample, with your back straight and your shoulders slightly raised, makes iteasier to breathe deeply. As your brain receives more oxygen, clarity and focus

improve.

Here are some quick techniques for improving your posture. As you stand com-fortably straight and relaxed, imagine a string attached to the top of your head,pulling you up toward the ceiling. Or imagine beams of light ascending anddescending from both ends of your body, along the straight line of your spine.

Now make your breathing part of the exercise. Each time you exhale, feel everyhindrance to clear concentration floating away from you. Feel the distractionsgetting weaker and weaker with each breath. Each breath builds the power andstrength of your concentration and each exhalation helps to release and let go of

the obstacles to your concentration.



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Tension and Relaxation

Tension saps mental energy and can even be the source of physical pain.Relaxation, on the other hand, is the ultimate gesture of non-violence to the self.The following are some basic relaxation strategies to help you maximize yourenergy by releasing tension.

Be aware of tension building and take corrective action before the stressbecomes overwhelming. Imagine that youre in a rowboat with a small leak.Think of your accumulating tension as water leaking into the boat.

Then, occasionally, let yourself take a moment to bail out the water. By doingthis regularly you can sail on safely. Tension, like water in the boat, is only adanger if you carelessly leave it unattended and let it get out of control.

On a piece of paper, draw a simple outline of your body. Now sit quietly for amoment and try to become aware of pockets of tension in your physical self. Scanthrough your body and and tune into the areas that are speaking to you mostloudly.

As you become aware of stressful areas, indicate them on your drawing. Try to

show not only where the feeling is, but also what it feels like. Do you feel tinglingin your fingertipstightness in your shoulderbutterflies in your stomach?Whatever your internal radar discovers, doodle it into your outline.

As you tune into what your body is telling you, make notes on your drawing toindicate the intensity of feeling in each location. Rate your comfort or discomfortin an area on a scale of 10, meaning extremely uncomfortable, to +10, meaningextremely pleasant or pleasurable.

Because control follows awareness, this body scanning technique gives you avery powerful tool for identifying and managing tension.



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An effective method for reducing tension is to blend with its force and thenredirect it. One of the best ways to apply this principle is to take control of ten-sion by intentionally increasing and decreasing it.

To begin, take a deep breathand tense up every muscle in your body as tightlyas possible without hurting yourself. Then, after a moment, exhale and relaxcompletely.

Now, as you take another breath, tense yourself up again, but this time only halfas tightly as before. Hold the tension a moment, then relax, exhale and let it

a l l go.

Do it one more time, but with the tension again reduced by half. You should payparticular attention to this level of tension, because this is the condition in whichmost people spend the majority of their time.

Now breathe, relax....and let it go.

As you begin to feel more relaxed, think of something that makes you feel mildlytense. Hold that concern in your mindhold itand when youre ready, just letit float freely through and out of your mind, like a cloud in the wind. Let it sim-

ply dissolve in this inner, open space of awareness.

This principle of transforming stress into positive energy is one of the most pow-erful techniques for enhancing concentration. Once you get a feel for thismethod, it will build confidence in your ability to redirect and actually use thetied-up energy that has been creating tension.



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Check your posture. If youre slumped down or hunched over, find another wayof sitting or standing that makes you feel more alert and attentive.

Pay attention to the physical characteristics of your environment. Is therefresh air in the room, or do you need to open a window? Are your clothes toowarm or too heavy? Also, make sure your work area is brightly lit.

From time to time during any period of concentration, make an effort to thinkof things that cheer you up and inspire your mental energy. Visualizations canhelp: imagine dullness vanishing like darkness as your body and your mind are

filled with light.

If all else fails, sometimes the simplest remedies are the best. You may findthat splashing some water on your face or taking a shower will re-energize you.Or you might take a walk in the fresh air.

Restoring Calm and Stability

When concentration becomes difficult because your mind is in an overly excit-ed state, try this visualization: imagine youre being carried off on a wild, out-of-control horse, galloping away. Then regain control by reaching out (yes, actually

reach out with your arms) to take hold of the reins. If there arent too many peoplearound, you can even say, Whoa! This intentional use of your hands and yourvoice will help bring your body and mind back into the optimum zone.

Another way to stabilize attention is by deliberately slowing down your move-ments. Whether youre walking, or reading, or dialing the telephone, by con-sciously shifting into slow motion you can intensify your concentration.

You might find that making physical adjustments, like wearing warmerclothes, eating a heavier diet, or dimming the lights in your room will have acalming effect. And cutting your intake of sugar or caffeine will certainly

improve your ability to stay focused.



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Heaven and Earth Spirals

An especially powerful method of maintaining dynamic balance throughout theday is to experience yourself as a conduit for the energies of heaven and earth.

Variations of this three-step technique have been used in many cultures aroundthe world for thousands of years.

First, as you stand or sit quietly, imagine a spiral of energy rising through youand opening into the sky. Breathe in and draw the energy of the earth up andinto you, then exhale and feel the flow continuing upward. Visualize yourself

drawing up the energy, then offering it to the sky.

N o w, as you allow this flow of earth energy to continue in the background,imagine youre drawing a spiral of light down into you from the heavens above.Use all the special effects you can imagine to make this as vivid as possible. Letthe shower of luminous energy cleanse your body and mind of any obstacles thatget in the way of the flow.

Finally, just allow yourself to rest in the flow of both of these spirals movingand flowing through you at the same time. Allow these harmonizing, healingenergies to totally dissolve any remaining tensions or concerns. Let your mind

and body find dynamic balance in the continuing flow of stability and strength.



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MINDFULNESSAND

CONTROL

If you were to look objectively at a typical day in your life, how often would yousay your attention is truly focused on what youre doing, rather than wanderingoff somewhere?

When youre talking with people, are you really present and listening, or is yourattention invested in thinking about other things or planning what youre goingto be doing later? Even when youre asleep, you may be struggling with andworking out unresolved issues from your day, instead of resting deeply andrestoring strength and balance to your system.

To counter this tendency of the mind to wander off and lose focus, lets return to

the concept of mindfulness, which is really concentration applied to the activitiesof daily living. Here are some exercises to help you develop the all-importantquality of mindfulness.

Mindfulness of Breathing

Whenever you feel the need to refocus your mind, the simplest technique is toreturn to mindfulness of your breathing.

As you inhale,know that youre inhaling. As you exhale,feel yourselfbreathing out.



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Mindful breathing brings your body and your mind back into sync. With mindfulbreathing as your first step, you can regain control of your attention and redirectit quickly and effectively.

Mindfulness of Your Body

One of the easiest ways to achieve mental focus is to make yourself mindfullyaware of the position of your body. Become aware of your postureof what yourhands are doingof a cool breeze in your hair or the heat of the sun against yourskin.

Mindfulness of your body can naturally combine with awareness of your breath-ing. As you breathe, feel the stream of sensations as your breath flows in andout. Become aware of the rise and fall of your chest or abdomen. This is an easy,direct and very powerful way to weave the focused mind state into every activityof your daily life and work.

Mindfulness of Mental Functions

You can learn to mindfully enjoy the shifting images and changing voices thatpass through your mind, and you can do this without being distracted by them.

Unfortunately, most people identify with these mental images, and struggle withthem. True power lies in remembering that you are not the chatter that goes onin your head. You are larger than these random thoughts. You are the awarenessthat is hearing, observing and witnessing them. This knowledge will protect youfrom taking any of this internal background music too seriously.

To increase mindfulness of your thoughts, begin by sitting quietly with yourhands on your knees. As you breathe, draw your attention mindfully toward thestream of your thoughts.



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Whenever you notice a thought that refers to the past, gently tap your left knee,indicating that special kind of thought called a memory

Then, whenever you notice a thought thats directed toward the future, tap yourright knee

And when your attention is totally focused here and now in the present moment,just smile to yourself and enjoy the ride.

After a few moments, notice whether your attention has been drawn more

toward the past or toward the future. Do this objectively and without criticism.As you gain greater understanding of your thinking patterns, youll recognize thetendencies youd like to strengthen, as well as those youd like to reduce.

You can use this technique to become aware of many kinds of thoughts as theypass through your mind. When you notice critical or judgmental thoughts, forexample, you can mark them by tapping your left knee. Tap your right kneewhen you notice appreciative and accepting thoughts. When youre neither judg-ing nor accepting, just sit quietly and mindfully ride the waves of your breath-ing.

Awareness of your mental functions leads to control of them. Ultimately, you canlearn to be mindful of whatever youre thinking, and this will enable you todirect your thoughts in any direction you choose.



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BREAKTHROUGHTHINKING

Gradually, the mindfulness exercises youve learned will reduce the presence ofdistracting noise in your mind and replace it with increasing clarity and stabil-ity. The unfocused mental energies most people struggle with can be transformedand redirected to build a mind thats fit for breakthrough thinking.

Breakthrough thinking derives from a delicate balance between an active and aquiet mind. Here are five guidelines to follow in order to become a breakthroughthinker.

First, select a specific theme or topic. It may be a presentation you need toplan, or something important in your personal life that you need to clarify. Atfirst, its best to choose a theme that has a positive association for you.

Now, clearly define your purpose in focusing on this topic. Are you looking forthe answer to a question? Or are you trying to clarify your feelings and discovera course of action? Its important that you begin with clarity on both your chosentheme and your purpose in thinking about it.

Third, begin thinking in a disciplined way. Whenever your mind wanderstoward an unrelated topic, discipline yourself to redirect your thoughts backtoward your chosen theme and purpose. To accomplish this, use the mindfulnesstechniques youve learned.



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Next, be aware that as you probe your theme or topic, you may experience asudden insight or breakthrough idea. When this happens, youll probably sense aboost in your energy and alertness, together with a sense of discovery. Use thisto think your breakthrough ideas through to their conclusions.

Finally, wh

en you feel youve arrived at a conclusion, simply sit quietly and hold the idea in

your mind. As you rest in this mindfully receptive state of awareness, allow you

intuition to work for you. You may discover still deeper levels of insight that may

lead you to spiral back through the sequence of steps for breakthrough thinking.

By following this sequencestarting with clarity of purpose, proceeding to disciplinedthinking, and finally listening for deeper insightyoull quickly build the power andlucidity that fosters breakthroughs in thinking, innovation and creativity.



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FOCUSING ONAVISUAL OBJECT

FOR SHARPENED CONCENTRATION

Begin this exercise by directing your attention toward something that interestsyou at this moment. It can be a physical object, like a flower or a candle, or it canbe a mentally visualized object or color.

Because of its calming effect, the color blue is often recommended as a startingpoint. You can simply visualize the sky, or you might place a piece of blue cloth orpaper in front of you.

Now, rest your eyes on the color, and relax. Just sit and be fully present with thecolor or object. If your attention wanders, return it to the image before you.

Focus more on the quality of your concentration than on the length of time youre

able to stay focused. Begin with only a minute or twothen take a briefbreakthen return your attention to your chosen object. Continue alternatelyfocusing and relaxing for ten to twenty minutes.

Be sure to focus on the quality of attention. The quality of concentration is moreimportant than the quantity of time that you put in. Increase the length of timeyou focus only as the strength of your concentration grows. Dont compromise thequality of attention for the quantity of time.

As your training continues, youll feel your concentration acquiring a laser-likeintensity, then gradually increase the time that you focus your attention.



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THE FOCUSEDMIND STATEINACTION

As your focus and concentration continue to improve through practicing theexercises youve learned, youll begin to look for applications of your ability inyour life as a whole.

Focusing On Your Inner Goals

At this point, take some time to ask yourself, What do I really want to accom-plish in my life? Try to formulate your answer in the form of a few specific goals.For maximum benefit,put these goals in writing.

When youve written them down, write answers to the following questions for

each of your goals:Why is achieving this goal important to me?

And why is that important to me?

And thenwhy is that important?

Do you see the direction this is going? If you continue for a few more rounds,youll probably come to the conclusion that theres some way of being, some qualityof mind, that you deeply wish to achieve.

Long after youve attained some tangible, outer objective, your commitment to

this inner goal will continue to work for you. By really focusing your energy andaction in an intelligent way, you can create exactly the quality of life you desire,regardless of external conditions.



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The Real Secret of Success

By creating the correct proportion of concentration and relaxationboth mentallyand physicallyin all your activities, you will be better equipped to achieve yourgoals. The secret is in finding an even balance of effort and effortlessnessofdirecting the flow of mental energy and in simply resting in that flow.

Right now, focus on whatever captures your attention so completely that yourmind seems least likely to wander. You might think of a beautiful place youvevisited, or of someone you love. Or you might choose to think of a favorite activity.

When focusing your attention on this object or activity, avoid drifting into analyticthinking. Dont get caught up in pondering color, shape, origin, or other specificqualities. Just allow the object of your attention to be experienced vividly andcontinuously.

If you try too hard to stay focused, your mind will be catapulted into agitationand distraction. On the other hand, if you allow your attention to weaken severely,youll lose clarity and drift into dullness. So when your mind reaches a settledstate, stop the session. Take a short rest and then resume.

Each training session should be of brief duration, and made up of many periodsof focusing and relaxing. As you train your concentration in this way, youllachieve a sense of joy and accomplishment in each session.



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In Conclusion

As youve seen, the focused mind state requires a dynamic balancing of manyqualities of mind. On the one hand, its like a bulldog sinking its teeth into anobject and tenaciously holding on yet its also a fact that, with too muchpressure, the mind will tire and soon lose its grip. So optimum concentration isprobably more like holding a delicate bird or butterfly in your palm.

Here are the five most important points to keep in mind as you develop your con-centration. Use this list as a guide for successfully integrating the focused mindstate into your daily life.

Emphasize quality, not quantity, of training time. Take breaks while yourconcentration is still good. This will leave you looking forward to continuing.

Practice regularly. Your mind is like your body: by working out several times aday for short periods youll see better results than by practicing once a month.

Initially, practice focusing your attention on objects or activities that you findbeautiful or interesting. You can then build the power to transfer your attentionto things that are less immediately appealing.



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Be mindful throughout the day by directing focused attention toward yourordinary activities. Then, when you choose to really zoom in and focus on some-thing, your mind will already be calm, collected and prepared to produce optimalresults.

F i n a l l y, and perhaps most importantly, remember to smile and enjoy yourmind fitness training. Build your power of concentration while doing the thingsyou love to do. Enjoying your practice is an essential ingredient that willenhance your abilities and speed your progress.

If you practice these methods, you are certain to realize the power of the focusedmind state. In this way, youll enhance the quality of your own life and the livesof all you meet.

We wish you the best of success!!



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N I G H T I N G A L E - C O N A N T6245 W. Howard Street Niles, Illinois 60714

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