Once you’ve redirected attention, you want to increase the periods of sustained attention to the meditation object. A technique that helps is called following the breath. This is a series of tasks, like a game, to help you actively engage with, take interest in, and fully investigate the breath, countering the natural tendency for attention to shift. To begin, try identifying the exact moment the in-breath starts and the exact moment it ends. Likewise, try noticing the exact moment the out-breath begins and ends.
