Mindful Moments with Erin
Take A Pause
Working With Distractions
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Working With Distractions

Take A Pause Ep 35: How not to get frustrated by the wandering mind
Take A Pause: Working with Distractions - Erin Lee

When we meditate, we learn not to get frustrated by the wandering mind.

In fact, we learn to see distractions as an important part of our practice - they provide opportunities for us to cultivate awareness, patience, mental discipline, and resilience.

Each time we notice our mind getting distracted and bring our attention back to the present, we are training the mind to refocus.

Every time we observe our thoughts with non-attachment and ease, we are strengthening our cognitive flexibility and cultivating equanimity.

When we learn to embrace the nature of the mind with curiosity and let go of the need for a “perfect practice”, we develop more compassion towards ourselves.

We stop seeing distractions as obstacles, but as an invitation to turn towards our experience and deepen our intentionality and skills in meditation.

In this Take A Pause session recorded on 12 January 2025, the TAP community learned five strategies for working with distractions in their meditation practice:

  1. Noticing and accepting distractions

  2. Returning our attention to the anchor

  3. Using distractions as our object of meditation

  4. Observing the conditions for a more effective practice

  5. Letting go of the need for perfection

At the end of the session, we shared a reading from Matthieu Ricard’s The Art of Meditation.


Meditation begins: 12:34

Reading begins: 30:10

Meditation duration: 18 minutes


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