Managing Your Attention. Part 4. Getting Organized.

Getting Organized and Constructive

Now obviously, just lying there and being aware of your back isn't going to make a huge difference -- or rather, it might and it might not. But even if we do not get any results, we have to begin the process of attending to ourselves in this way because, even if it doesn't produce results, it is constructive and organized.

We all start with the idea that we've got to feel what our muscles are doing, or work on particular problems, and we've got to be clear that that isn't our job. We've got to organize our awareness in such a way that we aren't focused on what we think is wrong but on the organization of the whole. If, for instance, you simply notice the parts of the body that are bearing weight -- the back of the head, the shoulder blades, the back of the pelvis, the feet, and the arms -- while still maintaining awareness of your surroundings, you'll find that you're organizing your attention in a way that actually corresponds to the primary control.

Notice that you've also been thinking constructively because you haven't begun to worry, to think about what is bothering you, or what you feel should be changed; you're simply being aware without judgement or worry. You're also being aware in a structured way that doesn't focus on specific parts of the body but on the whole. Nothing may happen, you may not feel anything happening, but you're being constructive and kind to yourself, and that, again, is what you want.