There’s a phrase that the Buddhist teacher Rob Nairn uses when teaching mindfulness: energy follows focus. This simply refers to the concept that wherever it is that our attention has gone to, our energy follows. In terms of our meditation practice, when we become entangled in our thoughts, we feed energy into the habit of distraction. By shifting our attention to the present moment through a neutral support, we are feeding energy towards a new habit of presence.
The teaching of energy follows focus moves beyond meditation. Whatever it is we focus our attention on affects our experience of being in the world, our emotions and our behaviours. What this means is that if we tend to focus on problems, stress feels bigger; whereas, if we look for solutions, we might be able to feel more motivated and capable. If we focus on what’s going wrong, we can feel frustrated, angry and maybe even anxious; whereas, if we focus on what is going right, we have the potential to cultivate gratitude and confidence. You get the drift.
Why am I talking about all of this? Well, it has felt a wee bit like the world around me is in some peril. I can already see many of you nodding vigorously in agreement. With the increasing polarisation of political views and the wars that are tearing the world part, it is hard not to feed energy into thoughts that provoke anger, anxiety and fear.
However, for me, my pulls are a lot closer to home. There are so many painful happenings within the lives of those nearest and dearest to me that it can be tempting to get caught up in the gravitational pull of the whirlpools of despair. Yet, this phrase of ‘energy follows focus’ keeps reminding me that there is another choice.
It goes without saying that sticking my head in the sand might feel like immediate relief, however, this is does not foster connection, nor a compassionate response. Still, in order for me to be of any use to those whom I love, I need to be standing on ground that is stable, nurturing and above all peaceful. This said, if energy follows focus, I need to be intentional in how I spend my time, what I speak about, watch, read and indeed attend to. This means carving out space to touch in with all things peaceful, nourishing and stable. Not so that I can ignore the difficulties around me but so that I can meet them skilfully and compassionately.
Putting this into practice can feel daunting. However, the poet Judyth Hill provides a lyrical road map of sorts. She invites us to ‘wage peace’ :
Wage peace with your breath.
Breathe in firemen and rubble,
breathe out whole buildings
and flocks of redwing blackbirds.
Breathe in terrorists and breathe out sleeping children
and freshly mown fields.
Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees.
Breathe in the fallen
and breathe out lifelong friendships intact.
Wage peace with your listening:
hearing sirens, pray loud.
Remember your tools:
flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers.
Make soup.
Play music, learn the word for thank you in three languages.
Learn to knit, and make a hat.
Think of chaos as dancing raspberries,
imagine grief as the outbreath of beauty
or the gesture of fish.
Swim for the other side.
Wage peace.
Never has the world seemed so fresh and precious.
have a cup of tea and rejoice.
Act as if armistice has already arrived.
Celebrate today.
For these times of strife, this poem feels like a revolution and inspirational. If you would like practice waging peace through the breath and explore this concept of energy follows focus, why not join me at the Sanctuary’s online Tuesday morning meditation? I would love to see you there.
-Jane
Make sure to check out my upcoming Art of Rest course starting the Sanctuary: Click here
Click below to listen to and practice a meditation called Wage Peace: energy follows focus.
My Silent Place 
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