| | Author: StacyCurl Forum: Dharma Overground Discussion Forum
I started doing Noting practice a couple of weeks ago and thought my fledgling experiences might be of some interest.
I've been following the breath at the abdomen, noting the raising and falling, I sometimes get stuck in the noting and it becomes a mantra disconnected from the sensations, then I focus more clearly on the sensations and soften the noting, but sometimes forgetting to note. I also sometimes find myself solidifying pleasure in the body into the 1st concentration jhana (I think) or just drifting off into sleep. I then installed a timer on my iphone and geekily programmed it to chime after 1 minute then 2, then 4, etc. [111111112222448].
I found it much easier to follow the breath when I tried to discern the difference between rising and falling, I also found it easier to stay with the breath if I thought of a space in which the raising and falling are occurring in (maybe what Eckhart Tolle means by the Now) but I don't want to risk solidifying that space into a concentration object. I haven't noticed any speed up when noting the breath but have gradually felt more centered on the sensations.
I've also dabbled a little in a choiceless noting of everything that arises, of course a lot of things arise and if I attempt to note them all I get scattered or spaced out, I also find myself mechanically scanning for the next feeling, sight, sound, etc. I found it works best when I focus clearly on a sensation, perceive it clearly and note it a couple of times (even though there are distractions) before letting my attention be pulled by a distraction. When doing this I noticed a more natural feeling of speeding up rather than a manic scattered one. I shall continue to dabble in this practice but mostly stick to sessions of just noting the breath.
Cheers. |