Prof. G.'s
Mindfulness/Anchoring Course


Practice Session 5

Meditation is the action of silence

             ~ Krishnamurti

Hello Class -

This is Practice Session 5.

In this session you will practice Anchoring/Mindfulness for 20 minutes. If that isn't right for you now, do what you can. In this session I will not keep track of any practice time. You start and stop when you wish to. If you want to set your own timer, start it when the audio ends and stop it at 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can use the timer in the Anchoring Tutorial Quiet Room.

There's an audio version of the text on this web page. You can access the audio by clicking on this link and/or downloading the MP3 of the audio and saving it on your computer, mobile device, or audio player -- whatever works for you. Right click on the link to download the MP3.

I hope everyone is practicing Anchoring every day or almost every day. If you're are not settled yet into an Anchoring routine, consider doing it before bed, soon after you awaken, on breaks at work or school, or the first 10 minutes of lunch time.

Anchoring is great for people who have trouble falling asleep or falling back to sleep after awakening in the night. This is especially true if the would-be sleeper's mind cranks away at thoughts (called "churning"). By focusing on the Anchor-place, the mind "lets go" of the churning.

Comments?. If you wish to, tell the instructor how it is going with Anchoring. Any problems? Questions?

Before we begin to practice, I want to share some things:

When I was learning Anchoring, my teachers would remind the students again and again that Anchoring is both simple and hard: Simple because all you do is sit and quiet your mind, and hard because all you do is sit and quiet your mind.

Something to be aware of: After they learn how to do it and find it beneficial, some people stop Anchoring regularly. Their plan is to do it whenever they need it, like a medicine. This tends not to work. Anchoring is like exercise. You have to do it regularly to get the benefits. Fortunately, it only takes a few minutes a day to "stay in shape."

OK. Let's begin today's practice. As always...

Sit straight.

Uncross your legs so you don't restrict blood and energy flow in your body.

If you are sitting in a chair, place your feet flat on the floor so you can ground yourself to the earth. If you are sitting on the floor, notice your feet and butt touching the floor.

Relax your hands and forearms. Imagine any tension draining down your arms and out of your fingertips into the air.

Bring your shoulders down from your ears to release the tension in your neck and upper back.

Breathe easily and naturally. Let the air breathe you.

Close your eyes and focus your attention on being connected to the earth. Be as still and quiet as you can be. This will help you transition from whatever you were doing before this to the practice activity you are about to undertake.

When you feel ready, start the audio.

Remember, if your mind wanders, don't worry about it. The mind always wanders. When you notice your mind wandering, say to yourself "Oh, my mind is wandering" and refocus your awareness on your Anchor-place. Do not try to clear your mind of all thought. Do not get angry with yourself if your mind wanders. And definitely don't stop the audio. Just note with a feeling of kindness that you are frustrated and refocus your awareness on your Anchor-place.

If you are having trouble focusing, try counting your breaths silently from one to ten.

OK? Start the audio.

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