If asked for the most direct route to practice mindfulness — the simplest instruction, the most bang for the buck — a pretty good answer would be “pay attention to the breath.”

Most every guided mindfulness practice offers pointers and reminders for doing just this. For example, the common instruction “and should you notice your mind wandering . . .” is not necessary but serves as a helpful reminder to . . . return attention to the breath.  With practice, attention steadies a little longer on the breath and such reminders become intuitive, self-guided. The breath is merely but one expression of something arising in the present moment. It can be replaced with anything — other sensations in the body, the person talking to you, a feeling, the book you are reading.

The challenge for many is that sitting relatively still and paying attention to the breath can be “boring” and we get restless, fidgety, and seek out greater stimulation. Of course, that’s the whole point. If we sat down and could remain calmly seated with a steady attention there would little utility in doing so to train attention.  It can be helpful to reflect on Pascal’s reminder that, and I’m paraphrasing: “all of our problems are caused by our inability to sit quietly by ourselves” or on research finding that participants would rather administer a mild shock to themselves than patiently await the experimenter’s return.