Besides the "traditional" form of meditation, which is focusing the attention on just one object, we may also choose to practice so-called awareness meditation. For some of us, this is an easier approach to meditation than focused meditation. Instead of focusing our attention on just one object, we simply become aware of whatever our attention is drawn to. To be sure that we are aware of where our attention is lying, many of us "name" what we are attending to.

For example, I may find I am listening to the wind in the trees, so I say to myself internally, "Listening, listening." The next moment my attention is caught by the flight of a bird, so I tell myself, "Looking, looking." No matter where my attention may go, I place my awareness there too by using this "naming" process.

For most of us, the main difficulty comes when our attention turns inwards ("thinking, thinking" or "feeling, feeling"). It is easy to lose awareness and become caught up in the thoughts and the feelings. When this happens, we remind ourselves that this distraction is a part of the meditation process, not a failure to do it correctly. Once again, we have to recall that no part of our program ever came easily to us, and that will be as true of Step 11 as of any other step.