This week, Toby Sola guides us through a practice to hone attention and tap into the effervescent joy of flow state.
You may have heard of “impermanence” as an important theme in meditation practice. In this guided practice, Toby Sola introduces us to the ease of flow state with two simple but profound techniques: exploring impermanence directly by noticing changes in our body sensations, and using labels to hone concentration.
Note that this meditation includes long pauses of complete silence as part of the practice. If you want more time, feel free to pause the recording as you go.
A Meditation to Get Into the Flow of Sensations
Read and practice the guided meditation script below, pausing after each paragraph. Or listen to the audio practice.
- In this guided meditation, we’ll explore the theme of flow. Let your legs relax. Let your pelvis be heavy. Lengthen your spine and neck. Tuck in the chin a little. Relax the face. Relax the shoulders, arms, and hands. Relax the belly.
- Next, bring your attention to any body sensations. Maybe you feel the touch of your clothes. The expansion and contraction of your chest as you breathe. Or an emotion in your belly. It’s all good, just bring your attention to whatever you’re feeling in the body.
- If your attention is pulled to sounds, thoughts, or other experiences, that’s okay. The distractions don’t have to go away. Just let them come and go in the background of your awareness and bring the spotlight of your attention back to the body.
- As you focus on body sensations, see if you can notice any changes. For example, a body sensation beginning or ending. A body sensation getting more intense or less intense. A body sensation changing in size. A body sensation vibrating or undulating.
- Now, let’s add labels. A label is a word or phrase that briefly describes what you’re focusing on. There are many label systems, but here’s how we’ll use labels for this practice. As you focus on body sensations, if you’re noticing a change, say flow. And if you’re not noticing a change, say stable. You can say labels out loud or in your head. The pace should be steady and the tone should be calm and matter of fact. I’ll give an example of what it can sound like, and then give you a chance to try it for yourself.
- If you’re spacing out a lot, speak the labels out loud. Spoken labels can help you keep concentration. Make sure to say either flow or stable about once every 15 seconds, depending on whether you’re noticing a change in your body sensations.
- Now, just keep practicing. Notice sensations, notice changes or sameness, and label them silently or out loud. (The audio for this meditation ends here.)
- Continue noticing and labeling for another minute or two. Eventually, you should notice a sense of ease, like you’re bobbing gently in a flowing river of attention.
- When you’re ready, take a few breaths to conclude your practice, and gently return to your regular day.
