Notice the breath during the day
Noticing the breath during the day is a movement toward being aware throughout the day. It is an informal meditation practice, which can bring you closer to this primary goal of practice.
Begin to see how early in the day you first notice your breath.
Rest in easy flow of the breath as you go to sleep.
Notice the breath during the day.
Do not be surprised if you do not notice breath at these times or anytime during the day. This kind of awareness is a new and valuable skill that you will develop over time using the simple but challenging mindfulness and insight practices offered in this course.
Record your experience using the Daily Record Form. Recording your experience is a powerful support to practice. It will help you get started now and periodically stimulate your energy for practice throughout your lifetime. The very act of a daily examination of your experience will train your mind to be more attentive to the breath (and eventually all experience).
Instructions for the Daily Record Form
Print the Daily Record Form and make an entry each day. Record the date, breath, sitting time, body work, and comments for the day. This table describes what to enter in each column.
| Column | Instructions |
| Breath | Enter "AM" if you noticed the breath early in the morning. Enter "PM" if you stayed with the breath as you went to sleep. Enter a "B" for each time during the day you turned intentionally to the breath or each time that the breath called attention to itself. |
| Sitting | Enter the length of time of your formal sitting practice - and the time of day. |
| Body work | Enter the type and length of time of your body work. (Body work includes body scan meditations or movement such as yoga or tai chi.) |
| Comments | Enter very brief comments about your meditation experience. You might mention your intention for each day's sitting, what the object of attention was, qualities of attention present, and kinds of distractions. Keep it simple. |
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