Goal
With this practice you can learn to reload your battery when you are very occupied and you are not able to take a brake because you can’t leave the people alone.
Why?
It’s not good to be sharp and keep an eye on everything continuously. If it isn’t possible to take a short break, you have to find a way of caring for yourself during your presence with others. You can to this by withdrawing in yourself for a moment and only response on what happens in the room when it is really needed.
Practice
Step 1: You can do this 1st step of the practice in a place with many people who don’t need your special attention, like in a shopping center.
- Try to relax in the space where you are and breath normally.
- Look around to the people who are moving around, without really examining these people or making eye contact with them.
- Now bring your attention to yourself by feeling intentionally how you are breathing in and out. At the same time keep your eyes and ears open: you see the people without really watching at them; you hear the people without listening at them. 90% of your attention goes to yourself, and only 10% to what is happening around you. When you feel that you are distracted by what you see or hear, just go back to yourself again.
- Try this for some time until you feel that you can really relax in yourself.
Step 2: This 2nd step you do in an environment where you sometimes have to interact with others
- Observe the people around you for a while and look at what they are doing
- Now let go the observation and go with your attention to your breath. Keep an open awareness for the people around you, without observing them or thinking about what they are doing. 90% of your attention to yourself and 10% to the others
- Try this for a while until you feel that you can relax in yourself
- But as soon as from your 10% awareness you see or hear something that really needs your attention, break is over and do what you have to do.
Application in daily life
You best start practicing this in an environment or group that is not too noisy or turbulent. If you have practiced this technique you can also use it in moments of sudden stress of hectic. By taking this short recess in yourself, you can decide what to do in a more thought-out way.
