If you’ve practiced any meditation at all, then you’ve probably come across the instruction to focus on your breath and settle your mind in the present moment.

And this is an excellent instruction. This is a very traditional and basic way to begin a meditation practice. In some traditions, this practice is done throughout even higher stages of meditation.

So just to clarify that at the outset, there's nothing wrong with this instruction.

Expanding Awareness

But there is a tendency when following the breath in meditation to focus so hard that the practice becomes like a game of concentration. We might get tight and determined, rather than relaxed and open.

This practice of mindful breathing is called shamatha meditation. Shamatha is a Sanskrit word that means developing or dwelling in peace. When we follow the breath with focus, we are essentially lessening the distractions around us in order to settle into the present moment in a state of clarity and relaxation.

Dwelling in the Periphery

And yet, if we are only focusing on the breath, there is a tendency to miss an entire aspect of our experience that occurs at the edges of our awareness. So in this guided meditation, I'm going to invite you to practice recognizing the periphery of your experience.

So find a comfortable seated or supine position and listen to the guided meditation recording below.