Context

This is another classic awareness exercise which is short and straight-to-the-point.

It’s designed to help you think about something which you ordinarily wouldn’t think about, which can help you expand your conscious awareness.

I suppose what I like about this particular variation of awareness exercise, is that it really points out how subtle our focus and attention can be.

While there are much more demanding awareness exercises such as Observe Your Senses this exercise highlights that focus and attention can still be achieved in the day-to-day of our busy lives.

And that’s really the beauty of focus and attention.

As outlined in Blind Attention it can be absolutely anything you want it to be, it simply comes down to your ability to conceptually think about it in everyday situations, and this exercise is designed to help you do that.

So without further ado, let’s get to the meat of it.

Instructions

For this exercise what you want to do is focus your attention on the right side of your vision.

I find this exercise works most effectively while you’re in the middle of doing something, because it’s not designed to be particularly taxing.

In fact, it’s designed to exist as a subtle overlay over your current thinking and daily functioning, as opposed to a dedicated practice you do when you have 10 minutes to yourself.

I tend to find the real benefit of this exercise comes from how we decide to focus on the right side of our vision.

For example, you may want to physically look at something in the right side of your vision. Alternatively, you may decide to simply imagine something appearing in the right side of your vision.

In a lot of cases, it can be as simple as acknowledging that you have a right arm. There’s an infinite number of ways you can practice this exercise throughout the day.

Furthermore, another important aspect of this exercise is consistency. Try to see how often and how long you can maintain your attention on the right side of your vision for.

Not to mention, question why you think you’ve been successful/unsuccessful in doing so.

Do you get distracted when you attempt to focus your attention on the right side of your vision? Do you find it hard placing your focus on anything at all?

Certainly, as with all awareness exercises, the more you practice them the better you’ll become at training your mind to think in those terms.