How to pay attention on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally
Three Tangible Techniques of MeditationIf you’ve wanted to meditate but haven’t been sure how, or if you’ve felt confused or frustrated when you’ve tried it, this document is for you.
Below are three techniques, based on each component of John Kabat Zinn’s definition of mindfulness, that may provide you with the experience of the mindfulness Zinn describes.
Each technique draws from a different tradition of meditation and aims to give you confidence during your time in silence with your mind, or even provide context for what guided meditations are pointing you towards.
How to use this document
The goal of this document is to help you try each technique with confidence after about 2 to 5 minutes of reading. If you get the general idea of the technique and instruction, feel free to jump right in and try it out.
If one technique “clicks” or resonates when you try it, that’s a good sign. Go with it. Don’t worry about perfection or knowing every detail of the technique. What works for you is more than enough, especially for getting started.
After the techniques, you’ll also find a few other practical considerations for meditation, like preparation, consistency, and posture, in addition to further resources.
Finally, think of meditation practice as “quality time,” like open-ended time with friends or loved ones, where outcomes aren’t required or expected. Meditation is similar, but this quality time is with yourself.
The Three Techniques
1. Paying Attention on Purpose – Stable Attention Practice
Paying attention is a trainable skill. Here’s how.
How to do it:
Choose something tangible, specific, and neutral that’s happening in the present moment, like your breath.
Try to keep your attention on it throughout your meditation. What you place your attention on is your “meditation object.”
You’ll get distracted or forget, but practice remembering you want to pay attention and return to your meditation object.
Tips:
The benefits of this practice begin with returning to the meditation object, rather than stopping distractions.
Each return to your meditation object is like a push-up for your mind.
Over time, your capacity to pay attention gets stronger and more effortless.
Don’t take a busy or tired mind personally.
Do your best. Each day will be different. Benefits and skills accumulate over time.
Enjoy any experience of presence with your breath or fewer distractions as signs that the process is working - stick with the process.
Knowing you’re paying attention helps; ex. Mentally labeling “in” on the in-breath and “out” on the out-breath can support stable attention.
Practice Instruction Example
Sit comfortably and bring awareness to your breath where it feels most clear.
Mentally note “in” with each inhale, “out” with each exhale.
If you wander, celebrate that you remembered, and kindly return to your breath.
Bigger Picture:
This practice cultivates a state called Shamatha, or “calm abiding,” related to the psychological concept of flow. It helps you find steadiness inwardly, like the focused flow you might feel during exercise or creative work.
Further Resources:
The Mind Illuminated by Culadasa (John Yates), Matthew Immergut
The Attention Revolution by B. Alan Wallace
Right Concentration by Leigh Brasington
2. In the Present Moment – Labeling (See, Hear, Feel)
“Why learn See, Hear, Feel? … The answer is simple, deep, and bold: SO YOU CAN BE OPTIMALLY HAPPY IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE.” - Shinzen Young
How to do it:
Let your attention move naturally without control or restriction. See if you can notice which experiences become prominent.
Label each experience with “See,” “Hear,” or “Feel.”
“See” for mental images or anything in the visual field.
“Hear” for sounds or mental talk.
“Feel” for bodily sensations or emotions.
If nothing stands out, rest in openness and curiosity.
If overwhelmed, label “All” and return to specifics as they arise.
If you forget, return to labeling again with the next noticed experience.
Practice Instruction Example
Sit quietly with eyes closed or softly open.
With the silence, start to become aware of what’s prominent.
Label sights and mental images “See.”
Label sounds and thoughts “Hear.”
Label body feelings and emotions “Feel.”
If distracted or lost, simply begin again with the next noticed experience.
Bigger Picture:
The above technique is my own adaptation of Shinzen Young’s method, which itself is an adaptation of a Burmese Vipassana tradition. Vipassana translates to “Insight,” and is a form of investigation that leads to a candid and thorough knowing of present moment experience. Mindfulness is a translation of the Pali word Sati, which can also translate as “knowing.”
Further Resources:
3. Non-Judgmentally – Compassion as Acceptance
To sit quietly and do nothing, something must be okay, yet the mind and body still feel problems. This practice invites you to pay attention to whatever is happening right now with simple acknowledgment and without implying anything is wrong or should be different.
How to do it:
Keep your awareness open, letting your attention naturally move to prominent sensations, emotions, or thoughts as they arise in your experience.
Or, you can anchor on a meditation object, like the breath, if you prefer
As you become aware of each experience, gently affirm it. For example, “Yes, I hear traffic, yes I feel my feet on the ground, yes I’m thinking about lunch, etc.”
If possible, try to cultivate a friendly attitude of “of course!” or “ah!” to each experience. “Of course I can hear traffic, Of course I’m hungry, Of course I’m planning my day.”
Each experience arising has a purpose that’s probably wholesome, even if it feels negative.
Ex., eating lunch is a great way to stay nourished, and judgment likely wants to keep you safe and see you succeed.
Eventually, you might notice a non-verbal quality to this affirming acknowledgment of experiences.
Try to apply that non-verbal attitude to each experience as it’s known
You can even pay attention to the quality itself.
How do you know acknowledgment or acceptance is there?
How does it feel?
Does it have a location?
Integrating acceptance with other techniques:
With Stable Attention, as you follow the breath, silently add “Yes” or “Ah!” or “Of course!” to whatever you encounter in body or mind before returning to breath.
With See-Hear-Feel, add a soft “Yes” before each label to welcome the experience you identify.
With Compassion as Acceptance, simply keep awareness open and say “Yes” to whatever arises, as you notice it, without needing an additional label or judgment.
Bigger Picture:
This practice strengthens kindness and clarity together. Simply acknowledging experience moment to moment can ease critical response and point to a process of compassion. Over time, this creates a positive shift in relationship to what’s arising in your mind, and potentially what’s arising in others.
Compassion here means bringing a quality of “yes” to your experience, no matter what it is, and just as it is. Whether it’s warmth, tension, ease, stillness, sound, coolness, anger, thinking, FOMO (fear of missing out), frustration, pleasure, etc.. It helps our internal arisings be known more like external arisings.
For example, we don’t try to unsee a bird flying or unhear a cricket chirping. Our thoughts and feelings arise as they arise, and acknowledging them, instead of judging, can create space. This space leads to capacity for more positive relationships and action.
Further Resources:
Tara Brach, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha
Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
Conclusion: Preparation, Consistency, and Posture
These practices focus on seated meditation, though you can use each technique in mindful movement like walking meditation. Below are some simple considerations to help set yourself up for continued success each time you meditate.
1) Find a Comfortable, Quiet Space
Choose a place where you can be comfortable, quiet, and free from distractions. For daily practice, having a consistent meditation spot helps remove barriers between intention and action. For example, you can keep a dedicated cushion or chair ready for practice in your meditation spot.
Silence your phone or use its mindfulness mode to block notifications completely. Apps like Insight Timer provide free resources and simple timers with pleasant bells that work even when notifications are off.
2) Start with an Achievable Time Goal
Decide how long you’ll meditate and start with what feels manageable. If five minutes feels doable but ten overwhelming, begin with five, doing two shorter sessions each day. Additionally, if you feel good after five minutes, you can always continue meditating if you have time.
Consistency matters more than duration: five minutes daily is more beneficial than twenty minutes once or twice a week.
Seated Meditation Posture
There’s no single “correct” meditation posture; aim for a sustainable and engaged posture.
Sustainable: Make sure you can maintain your posture comfortably for your session length. Whether seated on a chair or the floor, let your hips be higher than your knees, and add a cushion or pillow if needed. If discomfort consistently becomes the main distraction, mindfully adjust to a more comfortable position.
Engagement: Since quiet time with eyes closed signals the body to sleep, try to keep a posture that’s both comfortable and alert. Sitting on the front edge of a chair is one example. Avoid lying down or meditating in places linked to sleep, like your bed.
For more on posture and support props, you can refer to:
