In today’s column we’ll explore a practice that traipses into the territory of mind wandering, yet more precisely meanders into the creative realm of daydreaming. A variant of a focused attention practice, we could refer to it as unfocused attention. Rather than directing attention to a fixed object, like the breath, we establish mind wandering as the object of attention and see where it takes us.

If you’re familiar with mindfulness you probably know that mind wandering is to be expected, and practices like focused attention are really about noticing it. This kind of practice has been referred to as exercising the muscle of attention, or as pushups for the brain, as it can help steady attention and regulate emotions. If focused attention is like lifting a weight, the practice we’ll learn now is like releasing the weight and can be a refreshing complement to the focused attention practice.

Unfocused Attention

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