The Expanding Horizon Of Experience

Finding more with open monitoring meditation 🌏

February 13, 2025

👋 Hi, legend!

Our minds are constantly processing information, shifting between tasks, and managing distractions. Most people are conditioned to focus on specific goals or outcomes, often at the expense of broader awareness. Open monitoring meditation offers a different approach—one that strengthens cognitive flexibility, enhances creativity, and improves decision-making by training the mind to observe thoughts and experiences without fixation. Most meditation techniques fall into two categories:

Focused Attention Meditation: Involves concentrating on a single object, like the breath, a mantra, or a candle flame. It trains deep focus and concentration.

Open Monitoring Meditation: Involves observing everything—thoughts, sounds, bodily sensations—without focusing on any one thing. It trains awareness and cognitive flexibility rather than laser focus.

Where focussed attention seeks to reduce external stimulation, open monitoring embraces it. Some people have compared the two as ‘a flashlight versus a floodlight;’ focussed attention is fantastic for improving your ability to focus on the most granular elements of an action or information, while open monitoring improves your perception of an entire scene or task.

Why Open Monitoring Meditation?

Most people associate meditation with quieting the mind—but sometimes we don’t need to switch off, we need to observe, adapt, and respond more effectively.

The key benefits:

👀 Enhances awareness and adaptability: Trains you to notice patterns, thoughts, and emotions in real time.
🎨 Boosts creativity and problem-solving: Allows for divergent thinking and new insights by breaking habitual thought loops.
🪷 Reduces stress and emotional reactivity: Helps you step back from thoughts instead of getting caught up in them.
🗡️ Sharpens decision-making: Increases cognitive flexibility, helping you see situations from multiple perspectives.

Studies show that open monitoring meditation activates the default mode network (DMN)—a brain network linked to creativity, introspection, and strategic thinking. It also reduces cognitive rigidity, allowing for more innovative solutions and clearer thinking under pressure.

So, if you’re looking to gain a mental edge in business, sport, or creative work, this practice is well worth your time.

I can vividly remember the first time I tried open monitoring meditation. It was in September last year, and I was actively pursuing self-improvement techniques to get back to my best in my chosen sport. I had heard about the immense benefits it could offer, with some people suggesting even one attempt could have a lasting impact, but I was skeptical. I was truly blown away. I chose to do it in a darkened room, with minimal external noise. I closed my eyes, and laid on the carpet for 20 minutes. In that short time, I felt more connected to my body than ever, and I became acutely aware of some unbelievable sensations. You see, when you allow it, it’s incredible what you can feel. There are many things that our body does behind a curtain of secrecy, but when you empower yourself to feel and experience it all, you’d be amazed at what you notice. Among the many new feelings and observations that I made, I could feel blood pulsing through almost every part of my body, and I could feel the stages of my heartbeat. When I finished, I actually felt kind of high from the experience. 

How to Practise Open Monitoring Meditation

The beauty of this technique is that it’s simple, effective, and doesn’t require any special setup. Here’s how to get started:

Step 1: Find a Quiet Space

  • Sit comfortably—on a chair, cushion, or even a park bench.

  • Close your eyes or soften your gaze.

Step 2: Anchor Yourself (Optional)

  • Take a few deep breaths and briefly focus on your breathing to settle in.

  • This acts as a starting point before you shift into open awareness.

Step 3: Observe Without Attachment

  • Instead of concentrating on a single object, allow your awareness to expand.

  • Notice thoughts, sounds, bodily sensations, and emotions as they naturally arise.

  • Don’t try to change, judge, or push thoughts away—just observe them like a spectator.

Step 4: Return to Awareness When Distracted

  • Your mind will wander (this is normal). When it does, simply bring your awareness back to what’s occurring in the present moment.

  • Unlike focused meditation, you don’t need to redirect your focus to a single point—just resume open observation.

Step 5: Continue for 5-10 Minutes

  • Start with 5 minutes a day and build up as you get comfortable.

  • With practice, you’ll begin to notice a deeper level of awareness throughout the day—even outside meditation.

Note: I’d recommend setting a timer on your chosen device. Whilst I don’t love the idea of being jolted out of submersion, I think it helps you to relax and focus on the task at hand if you’re not trying to keep track of time as well. 

This isn’t traditional business news

Welcome to Morning Brew—the free newsletter designed to keep you in the know on the business news impacting your career, company, and life—in a way you didn’t know you needed.

Note: this isn’t traditional business news. Morning Brew’s approach cuts through the noise and bore of classic business media, opting for short writeups, witty jokes, and above all—presenting the facts.

Save time, actually enjoy business news, and join over 4 million professionals reading daily.

Applying Open Monitoring to Daily Life

One of the best aspects of this technique is that it’s not limited to formal meditation sessions. You can practise open monitoring at any time, including…

🚶 During a walk: Observe sights, sounds, and sensations around you.
🧠 While brainstorming: Notice ideas and insights as they arise, without overthinking.
👂 In conversations: Observe emotions and reactions without immediately responding.
🤔 Before making a decision: Step back, notice biases, and see the bigger picture.

The more you integrate this into your daily routine, the sharper your mental clarity, adaptability, and creativity will become.

Final Takeaway

Open monitoring meditation isn’t just about relaxation—it’s about training your mind for peak performance. By cultivating a broader awareness, you can:

🔭 Improve focus without tunnel vision.
💭 Boost creativity and problem-solving.
🙃 Reduce stress and decision fatigue.
🛡️ Build mental resilience in high-pressure environments.

If you’re serious about refining your focus, creativity, and self-awareness, challenge yourself to a 7-day open monitoring experiment. Set aside 5 minutes a day, observe your thoughts, and see what changes.

You might just discover that unlocking your mind is the key to unlocking your full potential.

If you’re an open monitoring master, please get in touch! I’d love to know your tips and tricks for getting the most out of it.

Speak soon,

Zac

Disclaimer: The High Performance Brief is for general education purposes only. The content is not a substitute for professional healthcare or psychological services. If you have any health/mental health concerns, please consult a qualified professional.