• You may get bored or restless
Use boredom as a practice. Consider why your mind feels compelled to be entertained all the time. How does this affect your life? Think how useful it would be to feel content in your own company without the need for distractions. Boredom can be very interesting if you explore it for a while
• You may have strange thoughts or sensations
This can happen sometimes – the mind is not used to sitting in this way. If you feel overly uneasy, stretch, readjust and try again. If the feelings persist, give up and try later. Don’t turn it into an endurance test.
• You will try to manipulate your experience
Everyone has their own idea of what mindfulness is all about. Some try desperately to be relaxed or blank their mind or slow down their breathing. Some try to get rid of any unpleasant thoughts or feelings. The list is endless. These things are not ‘bad’ but they aren’t Mindfulness – just observe the subtle manipulation.
• You will try to achieve something..
It’s hard to break a life long habit! For instance, you will TRY to be very calm, you will TRY to be good at Mindfulness, you may be waiting for something to ‘happen’. Just observe this.