A second stage might be to begin to flesh out the feeling component into basic physical sensations like "pressure" or "tension", as well as basic emotions such as "anger", "joy", "sadness", and "fear", and to flesh out thinking into a few categories like "planning", "wondering", "remembering", or "imagining".
We don't have to go crazy with a million notes, but I will list a few more here for reference. Pick and choose what works for you.
Feeling physical sensations: pressure, tension, release, itching, tingling, twitching, pulsing, throbbing, warmness, coolness, softness, hardness. It doesn't have to be complicated. 99% of the time I find myself using pressure or tension.
Feeling emotional sensations: Besides basic emotions such as anger, joy, sadness and fear, there can be related subcomponents:
Related to anger: disgust, frustration, annoyance, rage, irritation.
Related to joy: love, bliss, exhilaration, wonder.
Related to sadness: depression, grief, hopelessness, despair.
Related to fear: anxiety, worry, surprise.
There is also a category of mind states that might not fit neatly into thoughts or feelings, such as amusement, curiosity, compassion, relaxation, tranquility, anticipation, apathy, boredom, etc.
Experiencing thinking: thinking, remembering, imagining, planning, visualizing, wondering, analyzing, judging.
I would say that when I am noting, I am probably using less than 20 notes on a regular basis. It's just a tool to keep us aware, and it doesn't take tremendous variety to go beyond the benefit of a simple mantra.
Next: Third Stage - Grasping and Resistance
Table of Contents for How to Meditate
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