In this second week of Sharon Salzberg’s retreat, Mindfulness and the Body, she expands our understanding of mindfulness as a practice and perceptual tool. She describes mindfulness as a “quality of awareness where our attention is not distorted by bias.” Developing awareness of our minds’ habitual thoughts that invade and color our perception is essential to changing the way we relate to our experiences.

In clear and precise language, Sharon articulates the ways that mindfulness helps us to connect more fully and deeply to our experiences, bringing our attention to the details of the present. Resting our attention on the sensations of our bodies, Sharon shows us how to apply the same concentration principles from the first week in order to develop a more balanced awareness. 

As she says, “Our goal here is simply to be aware, and have awareness itself be the vehicle of transformation.”

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