The following meditation on the go came to me via a wonderful new book in my life, Urban Mindfulness—cultivating peace, presence & purpose in the middle of it all, by Jonathan S. Kaplan, PhD. The preface to the meditation says that we’re more likely to perform an action if were rewarded afterward. They were initially referring to why video games were addictive. With that playful competitiveness in mind, enjoy the following mini-meditative moment practice:
“Mindfulness Master
- Select a period of time (such as five minutes) or discrete experience (such as walking to work) for playing this game.
- Bring your attention and awareness to your breathing. The main goal of the game is to count how many complete breaths (inhalation and exhalation) you can follow mindfully before becoming distracted. Give yourself one point for each breath cycle.
- Continue breathing and giving yourself points until your mind wanders away from your breathing. As soon as you stop focusing on your breath, the game is over.
- Record your results.
- Play as many times as you like and try to beat your score. How high can you go? Can you reach the highest level, nirvana?
This game obviously introduces some competing and striving, which isn’t really consistent with mindfulness. However, it reflects your underlying intention and encourages you to unplug your devices and focus on your breathing, which cultivates concentration and awareness. Playfully engaging in the present like this helps you find encouraging ways to cultivate and support your own practice, especially whenever your interest and commitment fade.”
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