Field of Vision is a practice I was first taught by a dear friend who practices Tibetan Buddhism. I’ve simplified it a bit and turned it into a mindfulness practice.
I adore this practice. If you like eyes open practices, or want to experience one this is a great one to play with. And you’re welcome to do just that, play with it and make it your own.
8 minute version:
This is an 8-minute version which includes a fuller explanation of the practice. Start here if you want to have more guidance or suggestions for how to do it.
5 minute version:
And here is a shorter 5-minute version. Use this one if you prefer less guidance or you simply want a quicker practice.
Right click on the players (the grey bars) and choose download to download them onto your device(s). As always, you’re welcome to download, use and share these as often as you like for non-commercial use.
(3:01) This practice is great for people who prefer to practice with their eyes open or who enjoy looking at things. Some visual artists love this and some find it too distracting to have visual input, so try it out and see what you think!
Mindfulness Practice:Field of Vision
Start by becoming present to the location you are in: look around at what you can see right now.
Close your eyes and gently shift your attention to your breathing. Notice your breath moving in and out of your body right now. Be curious about your breath. “How am I breathing right now?”
Open your eyes and look in front of you. Shift your attention to your vision and notice what you can see right now.
Soften your physical eyes and your vision and begin to notice your whole field of vision. Take in your whole field of vision with a soft focus.
Without needing to move your head or eyes, widen your noticing to include your peripheral vision. Notice that you can see what is in front of you as well as quite a bit to the right and left, above and below what is in front of you.
Take a few breaths here. As much as possible just notice the objects that you can see with out going into stories about them. If it helps, you can say, “Seeing” to yourself as a way to occupy your mind and remember to just look.
Shift your attention back to your breath. Notice your breath moving in and out of your body.
When you’re ready, open your eyes to end the practice, noticing the space that you’re in right now.
When your mind wanders, as it inevitably will, gently bring it back first to presence by noticing your breath and the quiet between thoughts, and then re-focus on the heart of the practice.
To Download:
Click on the Download button below.
If it does not download automatically:
A new window will open with an audio player (like the player above).
Right click on the player and choose “Download File” or “Download Video”
iPhone users will want to first copy the meditation into iTunes (on your computer) and then sync with your iPhone.
Note that you are welcome to download and share this files as many times as you like provided you do so in it’s entirety and use it for personal or educational use only (no commercial uses).
