In Stage Two, I said it can be helpful to use mental self-talk when following the breath. By now, you’ve noticed that a lot of the mental activity takes the form of inner dialogue. Like a sports commentator discussing the plays in a game, mental talk becomes a way to follow the movement of attention and gauge the quality of awareness. Yet, you may have also noticed that self-talk can cause problems. It’s slippery like quicksilver, flowing from investigating the breath to some other associated topic, then on to another. Suddenly you’ve gone down the rabbit hole of mind-wandering! Therefore,
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