Can anyone give me some pointers in maintaining mindfulness in daily life?
My practice at the moment is noting, or more precisely noticing (I can be more specific about this if it would help).
I've learned from experience that I'm not really at a stage where I can be social in my daily life and be mindful enough to note, but I feel like I could be noting when I am reading, writing, or even watching tv (although I'm not sure about the last one actually) but there is a kind of mental block since these aren't activities I am used to being mindful of.
Although there is part of me that feels like this wouldn't be possible/ practical, noting has become a part of my every-day routine in other daily activities like exercising, taking public transport, walking places, or really my go-to activity whenever I am alone or have a moment to myself, so I feel like this same mind-state should be possible for reading/ writing, but I don't really know where to start.I guess I just want to hear about other people who have taken this step and especially how they first went about it.
Anyone?

Hi Carolin,



Keeping mindfulness throughout the day is a great way to support your practice. When engaged in activities that are too complex, you can try just staying aware of the body or even the breath. You don't have to notice every single sensation but staying mindful of the body can be a great support.



If you can, stay aware of the block. Become curious about it, what does it feel like? Where does it arise in the body? Is there anything behind it (that is, do any feelings, emotions, thoughts, images, memories come to mind when you stay with it?), if there's something behind it, can you stay with that? does it stick around or does it change or maybe go away after a while? etc. There's nothing you cannot note. If it seems like there is, be aware of that feeling. If it feels like you can't be aware of that, be aware of THAT feeling and so on...

Also, I think one of the sticky posts by Ian And has a lot of good info about this topic exactly. Try this one: http://www.dharmaoverground.org/web/guest/discussion/-/message_boards/message/1286373

Hope this helps!
Eran.

I'll second that. Carolin I've found "Satipatthana, The Direct Path to Realisation" by Analayo to be enormously helpful in regard to daily mindfulness. Mindfulness of the body is fantastic. Mindfulness of the body's posture is particularly helpful as it's so simple. If you can be aware of the breath as well, then even better! I think you'd get a lot out of that book.

Just be aware of where your body is and what ti's doing. Is it sitting? Is it standing? Is it walking? is it lying down, stretching, doing a backbend? Keeping the mind grounded in the body is becoming my main daily informal practice. It'll work great for your yoga too.

This is a very interesting topic for me because I have done a selfretreat during februari and mars and one of my main goals was to establish a method or way to practice during daily life activities.

As I see it the basic approach of being aware of daily activities is the same as in sitting meditation. The goals of the practice is still the same but there are also differences. One difference is that you are more likely to encounter a lot of distractions of many kinds that have the potential of capturing your attention and lead to a mind that wanders and forgets what it was supposed to do. For me it essential to constantly remind me in some way to be aware of what I am doing and that I'm doing what I intended to do. If I can keep that awareness then I know I'm doing well. I remind myself after every sitting meditation that I will try to continue to be mindful.

What's more evident for me in daily life also is the importance of keeping the right attitude towards meditation, being relaxed (if I can), cultivate wholesome states and avoid to dwell in unwholesome states. I have been inspired a lot by Sayadaw Tejaniya. You can check out his techings here: Sayadaw Tejaniyas teachings

I have also experimented with the usage of mental labels to improve my awareness, for example as the Mahasi method or Shinzen Young teaches. I find that this can be useful sometimes when the mind is especially agitated but for me I find it sometimes creating frustration and tension, maybe confusion when Iäm uncertain what label to choose and so on. It seemed to complicated so therefore I switched to the more simple, relaxed method.

Another way to be aware during daily life is to use the breath which I've also tried. This is a practice that for example Webu Sayadaw was teaching. I found that it worked well sometimes but I tended to forget the breath when I was engaged to more complicated activities.

To summaries I think there are many good ways that you can practice during daily life. I'm not saying that one method is better than the other. I think different methods suits different people and the best is that you experiment and find out what is useful to you, and don't give up if you fail, try to see everything as valuable information, as feedback and adjust your method or technique if necessary. Good luck!

So it seems I will be experimenting with breath and posture.Thanks for the good tips everyone! I will have a read through the links.

Eran.
If you can, stay aware of the block. Become curious about it, what does it feel like? Where does it arise in the body? Is there anything behind it (that is, do any feelings, emotions, thoughts, images, memories come to mind when you stay with it?), if there's something behind it, can you stay with that? does it stick around or does it change or maybe go away after a while? etc. There's nothing you cannot note. If it seems like there is, be aware of that feeling. If it feels like you can't be aware of that, be aware of THAT feeling and so on...


Hi Eran,
That last bit is SO relevant to my practice right now, especially on the cushion. Taking the resistance as object rather than obstacle. Watching how very subtily one emotion leads to another emotion and another and so on, and watching how it looses its compelling hold and the aversion vanishes the minute you show some interest in it. I also liked your suggestion about bringing that approach into daily-life.

I was recently told by a teacher that noting during social interactions was too difficult, and tended to make people a little weird. That may have been specific to me though. I dunno.

I wonder about practicing while reading, too. My current theory is that it is best seen as a form of concentration practice. I can see how body awareness would also work well. Also, I contemplate my probable addiction to reading, and the insidious hope that I can get things - knowledge, insight, power, solutions, experiences, fun - through it. If progress on the path is contingent on me giving up my attachment to reading, I have a long way to go. :b

I found with exercise noting "gone" at the end of the in and out breath brought out the mind states and thoughts and nip them in the bud efficiently. Noting vanishings with strong emotions helps when I'm caught up so the emotion doesn't go too far.

I have also been doing a lot of intense daily life practice, and have been paying special attention to three things:

1) The visual field: our life is very visual, with driving, typing, TV, movies, cell-phones, etc. so there is nearly always something visual to play with, and detailing exactly how the 3D aspects work, the colors, the textures, the fine points, the pixels on the screen, the way things change as I move past them, how perspective changes exactly, every little flash of the cursor as it moves across the page, how letters form on the screen, and the like, all gold. This is a trick I picked up from the Traveling (oob) literature, and it was reinforced by the Actualism stuff, and it has just been a great time. I find it makes for vivid dreams.

2) The Head: there is a lot of stuff going on the skull, nose, jaw, throat, back of the head, and it is a useful object to get to know.

3) Feelings in the body: we feel all day long, and getting to know the fine points of exactly what and where keeps us realizing why we do what we do and why we react the way we do to things, as well as being somehow transformative of those things, so I have found it a good time.

Instead of noting try to maintain right speech and connect with an intention of metta--great ways to notice ("note") how things are and your relationship to them.

Here are the talks from a daily life practice retreat from a teacher who specializes (in part) in teaching daily life practice in a very practical, reasonable way:

Daily Life Practice Retreat with Andrea Fella
Regards,
B

Hi Carolin,

one very simple thing that helps me when I'm engrossed in work or more demanding situations is to note the most obvious, conspicuous things - like whatever the hands are touching, feet on the ground, the mouth or face, clothes on the skin. If you're watching tv then simply body in the chair, or fingers on the keyboard. I've had some very strong experiences while reading by just noticing my fingers hold the book. Just doing these things keeps attention in the present, and usually leads to more subtle stuff.

Just going off what you said about metta, I was reading a post on zenhabits the other day with a short list of things that made him happy, and he mentioned how nice it is being with people you love and care about. Sounds like an oh-so-obvious thing, but the last few days those words have just kept popping into my head when I am with family and friends, and it makes me instantaneously appreciate being in their company, rather than worrying about how I am not meditating/ paying attention. And this actually allows me to be more present and alot more willing to be with them and see them as people rather than objects.

Hi Carolin,

Gratitude and appreciation is great stuff. Metta is often presented as a concentration practice, but it can also be an insight practice, notice (without losing your presence) the appreciation and joy. Conversely, notice what is present when metta is not "felt": busyness, distraction, anger, fatigue, etc. This is also true for right speech (which is a very challenging practice)

Try practicing simple metta at the grocery store or in airports: imagine each person in a context that would make them happy or at ease (this will also tell you a lot about yourself and your projections). Find a way in busy moments to acknowledge the humanity of a checkout clerk--not gazing soulfully or anything, just notice their humanity and desire to be happy.

Thinking of metta as "goodwill" (which actually seems to be a more accurate translation than "loving kindness") makes it easier to cultivate, or try to cultivate it, for everyone. Metta practice is as simple as connecting with the intention towards good will. Even with a dreaded enemy, you may still be able to find a perspective where you can acknowledge that it would be more wholesome to you if someday you felt goodwill towards them, instead of the suffering caused by ill will and judgement.

Regards,
bf