🔼: [[🧘 Mindfulness Meditation]], [[🛠 Pendulation Toolkit]], [[🕯️ Part-Tending]] #### 🧘 Samatha Meditation Samatha is a Focused Awareness practice. As traditionally taught it builds [[☀️ Calm]] and [[💡 Focus & Concentration#Effortful Concentration|Effortful Concentration]] with the support of a [[💡 Meditation Anchor|meditation anchor]]. Reconceptualized as a [[🕯️ Part-Tending|🕯️ Parts Practice]] it helps us notice and invite [[💡 Parts|Parts]] to relax so that the natural and [[💡 Focus & Concentration#Effortless Concentration|Effortless Concentration]] of [[💡 Presence|Presence]] is able to emerge on its own and we can access deeper depths. Samatha lays a foundation for more advanced practices which build upon it, though there are meditation practitioners who do nothing but Samatha for years, as a foundation can never be too strong. It's a beginning practice, but not a "beginner" practice – it's very rich and leads to all sorts of interesting things. > [!note] > Samatha mirrors traditional [[⭐️ Parts Work]], where the [[💡 Focal Part|Focal Part]] is our [[💡 Meditation Anchor|meditation anchor]] and we continuously help other parts [[🕯️ Unblending|unblend]] and give space for us to continue the practice. - [[🔑 Meditation can be either Presence-led or Parts-led]] - [[🔑 Mindfulness is an unblending exercise]] - [[🔑 Attention is like a spotlight; Awareness is like candlelight]] %% - [[☀️ Milky Nourishment & Pink Unconditional Love|☀️ Pink Unconditional Love]], [[🕯️ Love]], [[Unconditional Love]], [[⭐️ Self-Love]] %% ##### The Practice ![[Before trying mindfulness]] We take a [[💡 Meditation Posture|Mediation Posture]], bring to mind our [[🕯️ Sankalpas]], and settle into a [[💡 Meditation Anchor|meditation anchor]] – the [[🛠️ Lower Belly Center]] is generally recommended, though others will work. As we rest our attention there we will eventually find our attention pulled away by [[💡 Parts|Parts]]. The rest of the practice is that of [[🕯️ Unblending]] and (with consent) returning to our anchor, over and over again. ![[💡 Focus & Concentration#Addressing Parts During Concentration Practices|Concentration]] Practice ideally for about half an hour, though less – five or ten minutes, even one minute – is okay. We can add time each week, up to 25-30 minutes (or more) by the end. We may have noticed [[💡 Parts|Parts]] and want to follow up with them through [[🕯️ Part-Tending]]. - Samatha can move to [[🧘 Vipassana (Insight) Meditation]] or [[🧘 See, Hear, Feel Flow]] if we feel well-concentrated at some point. - Finishing the practice with 5+ minutes of a [[🧘 Body Scan]] can help cultivate our [[Proprioception]] and our awareness of the [[🛠️ Lower Belly Center]]. [^1]: [[👤 Loch Kelly|Loch Kelly]] - Effortless Mindfulness | Elevating Consciousness Podcast #30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeuya9OjR04 40:53