Thread: Are all day type RC's necessary?

You know, we get a lot questions and concerns about ADA - "should I do it the whole day; it is so tiring, etc."

While I don't practice ADA all day long, I love to be more aware of my surroundings and myself on a sporadic basis and it has never tired me. On the contrary, it feels very refreshing and recharging. So why is that? Perhaps the answer lies in the way attention is exercised. ADA reminds me a lot of a definition of mindfulness meditation as described in SA, Nov issue. Let me type a few things for you, maybe it makes more sense then.

Mindfulness meditation:
Also called open-monitoring meditation, mindfulness entails observing sights, sounds, and other sensations, including internal bodily sensations and thoughts, without being carried away by them.

Mindfulness or open-monitoring meditation tries to culvitate a less (emotionally) reactive awareness to emotions, thoughts and sensations occuring in the present moment to prevent them from spiralling out of control and creating mental distress. In mindfulness, the meditator remains attentive, moment by moment, to any experience without focusing on anything specific.

Mindfulness requires the meditator to take notice of every sight or sound and track internal bodily sensations and inner self-talk. The person stays aware of what is happening without becoming overly preoccupied with any single perception or thought, returning to this detached focus each time the mind strays.

This definition explains quite well how to practice mindfulness or ADA without becoming overwhelmed by it. If I have to use a metaphor it would be, glide your mind on the surface of a lake, rather than plunge in it. This will help you remain aware, develop a sense of detachment and with this sense of detachment, you will also become more aware of yourself.

My take on any awareness practices including ADA, mindfulness or RCs is similar to what mimihigurashi said. You don't have to practice it 24/7 just take it a bit slower and try to be more aware in general.