Zooming Out

At times, the mind is deeply focused on something, and all or most of the awareness is in the mind, absorbed by a particular subject.

At these times, the world is that subject - in that nothing else appears to exist.

When absorbed in the mind, the experience is noisy and you are closed off from everything else - there is little to no space, or awareness of what is going on around you.

In these moments, 'zooming out' can be incredibly useful.

Let's say you are thinking about buying train tickets and you don't know which ones to buy. As you consider the dates, times, prices and routes, you may grow more and more involved in the mind, and turn 'finding the perfect/best route' into 'the only thing that matters'.

You can 'zoom out' by focusing your attention on the physical world around you - the computer screen in front of you, for example, then to outside and above the body in the room, to above the house and street, and out and out, until you are looking at Earth, and then go beyond into space.

In 'expanding your world', there is less focus on the mind, and so more space. You may feel more open, lighter, and less concerned about the topic or activity that previously appeared very important.

'Zooming out' is a technique that can be used to enter back into the present moment - the peaceful, eternal, edgeless now - which is all there ever is.