EarlyWords as Meditation

(Originally published on the EarlyWords blog.)

In one sense, for me meditation is about presence and practicing being present.

I sit on a cushion for ten minutes every morning and I practice being present in the current moment. I do that by directing my attention to the sensations of my body.

The breath is a typical and traditional target.

“Breathing in I am aware that I am breathing in. Breathing out I am aware that I am breathing out.”

Sometimes I direct my attention to other sensations. I might become aware of tension in my jaw. As I focus my attention on the sensations in my jaw, I might notice the tension loosening and my jaw relaxing. I might direct my attention to other parts of my body or back to my breath. Breathing in I am aware that I am breathing in.

In another sense, for me mediation is about directing my attention and practicing directing my attention.

I sit on a cushion for ten minutes every morning and I practice noticing when my attention drifts and directing it back to the present.

My mind wanders to memories of the past. It wanders to hopes, plans, or fears of the future. I notice that it is wandering and I direct it back to the present.

I meditate when I sit on a cushion for ten minutes every morning. And I meditate when I write my Earlywords.

I sit in a chair for seven hundred and fifty words every day and I practice being present in the current moment. I do that by directing my attention to the thoughts in my mind and typing those thoughts into my Earlywords.

“I am writing my Earlywords. It is eight thirty three in the morning and I have just started to write my Earlywords.”

My mind wanders to memories of the past, to hopes, plans, or fears of the future. I notice it is wandering and I direct it back to the present where I am writing those wanderings into my Earlywords.

Every day, I do ten minutes of meditation sitting on a cushion and practicing returning to the present by directing my attention to the sensations present in my body. Every day, I do seven hundred and fifty words of mediation sitting on a chair and practicing returning to the present by directing my attention to the thoughts present in my mind.

Earlywords is meditation.