The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness

by Culadasa (John Yates)

The third type of spontaneous movement, alternating attention, is a subtler kind of scattered attention only apparent to an experienced meditator. To be clear, everyone’s attention alternates, whether they meditate or not. The difference is that the non-meditator doesn’t experience his or her attention as alternating. Instead, there is the illusion of paying attention to two or more things simultaneously. What’s actually happening is that the focus of attention is moving very quickly among several different objects, but staying with each one for about the same amount of time overall. It’s the kind of attention we have when multitasking. If you’re doodling in class while listening to the professor, your focus is moving so swiftly that there doesn’t seem to be a break in your attention to each object.