When I’m finishing up a session of meditation, I sometimes set an intention to continue doing nothing throughout my day. That doesn’t mean I won’t move from my meditation cushion—it means I’ll take a wait-and-see approach to my day. It means acknowledging I’m not in control—and letting go. I simply wait and watch what my mind and body do, recognizing it all as the play of experience.
What happens next? At some point, I do get up from my meditation cushion and my day unfolds. Ideally I can carry that wait-and-see approach into every moment of my day. Then every moment is fresh, new, and surprising.
Do my habitual patterns unfold just as they always have? In a way, yes—and in a way, no. Bringing attention to every moment brings habits into awareness—and awareness gradually transforms them.
Photo Avalon Falls – HDR (by Nicolas Raymond) is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.