The Art of Attention

The moments that stay with us, that we grasp tightly to our chests all have one thing in common- our irrefutable presence in the moment.

It is not our fault but we have become increasingly easily distracted in a world that preys upon our attention- through media, ads, whispers of connection through every swipe.

None of us are immune to these distractions. And they are slowly taking everything from us. Our connection with ourselves, our loved ones, and the beauty of the universe around us.

Our world is adapting to new technologies such as AI that can do our thinking and speaking for us, there is no end in sight.

We scroll and our minds spiral. We think we are less beautiful than those we see on social media. Less happy. Less creative. Less capable. We hear news of what’s happening around the world. We feel helpless and we grieve. We become a mush of an overload of information that never needed to be ours and in doing so forget the wild beauty inside of us and around us. We numb and we limit ourselves and we stay small. It’s a vicious cycle.

Yet, beauty & connection prevail & always find us & remind us. Life is here.

The most basic and foundational practice of Yoga is placing our awareness intentionally.

Drishti Manaha Prana— Where we gaze upon (or place our attention,) our awareness goes, which generates energy. Where the awareness goes, it gathers energy, and gives shape. Where we place our attention quite literally matters.

If you think about it, every decision you have made, whether by choice or by conditioning, has brought you to where you are in life. This is not to discount the traumas & inequities that happen upon us, those are very real and also have great impact to where we are. But as long as we continue to see ourselves as limited in some capacity because of our conditioning or because of our stories about who we are, we remain stuck in storylines that keep us small.

“That is just the way I am.”

I have thought that about myself many times. A victim of life’s circumstances. My own very real encounters with trauma, abuse, & neglect that shaped who I became as an adult, that left me feeling powerless.

It wasn’t until I realized that it was my responsibility to not overcome those devastating moments but instead meet those parts of myself that I abandoned in order to survive those moments, with grace and love, that I awakened to the possibility of a different life potential. A paradigm shift.

An empowered version of mySelf began to arise and my outer world began to shift. I started to create the life I wanted because I was no longer at the mercy of my inner demons- who told me I needed to contain myself, to stay small, in order to survive.

Yes, beloved, at times you had to stay small in order to survive. But that times has passed and now we rise.

My world and experience expanded because of my ability to subtly place my attention. An art I have not yet mastered but re-commit to as often as I can remember.

The Upanishads speak of the 5 senses like horses drawn to chariots— the chariots the horses are drawn to being the body, the vessels through which we experience life. The reins representing the mind, which control the senses. The chariot driver representing disciminating wisdom, guiding the mind. And the passenger repreenting precious soul inhabiting the body and experiencing the senses. The road being the features of the senses we encounter- shifts in enviornment, whatever we may be exposed to.

As long as we relenquish our attention to the fleeting distractions and moods of the mind, the horses take control and lead us on bumpy paths, causing overwhelm and a sense of powerlesness. When our ability to instead direct our attention to what we desire is maintained, we remain in control of the path we choose to guide the chariot towards.

Yes, unexpected weather and obstacles will cross the path regardless, but the ability of directing our attention in these moments gravely impacts the outcome. The ability to place awareness where you mean to is a way of anchoring within yourSelf and centering who is in charge.

It is important here not to place too much weight here. Yes, the art of attention is dire. And, we are never too far down an undesired path. We remain completely whole & missing nothing- including the ability to begin directing our attention at any moment.

Try it now. Take a moment to bring your awareness to your heart space. Take a few breaths here, simply noticing sensations in the heart. Maybe thinking of someone you love. Allowing yourself to fully feel that love radiating in the heart space. Maybe closing your eyes and breathing here for a few moments.

Now that you’ve finished, how do you feel? How did your body respond? Did your shoulders drop, or the corners of your mouth turn upward?

This is the subtle-body work that can shift everything. It’s simple and it’s incredibly powerful. The more we practice, the easier it becomes. Listening to the body, which is the foundation of somatic body work and nervous system regulation, really begins here and means this- placing your attention with care & reverence within the body. With practice, it branches out to noticing sensation and allowing attention to intentionally be directed to those places also. A dance with the subtle body. Devotion. Directing, and being directed in relationship— intimacy with life, through all of its ups and downs.