We’ve probably all groaned at some point at the phrase, “thinking outside the box”. But is there any evidence that this could make any difference? Well, psychologists have assessed whether people’s thinking becomes limited when they’re in a smaller physical space. The experiment took place in a large hall that had a five-foot square box, like a small tent, in the middle. People in the experiment were given an associative thinking test and randomly assigned to either sit in the hall or in the box. The results for outside the box were all significantly higher. This shows that our brains are affected by our sense of space. So, there’s a direct relationship between available cognitive resources and our perception of space in conscious awareness.
Space is a surprising phenomenon. For instance, there’s much more empty space than stuff in the universe. If a hydrogen atom were the size of the earth, the proton at the centre would be equivalent to the width of eight tennis courts. All the rest is empty space. Even our bodies are full of space. If it was possible to squeeze the space out of all the atoms in the whole human race, what was left could fit into the volume of a single sugar cube.
Sometimes we feel a bit like that sugar cube, squeezed and compacted, with no space to think, to reflect, to respond skilfully and to make the most of our abilities. We can feel stressed and overloaded, with tension in our bodies reinforcing the feeling of tightness – like an overwound guitar string at the end of its limits. Other things also make us feel we’re in a tight space. One is that we spend most of our attention on the foreground content of our experience, in other words, the text in the message, the objects in a room, etc. This can lead to tunnel vision, where we miss what’s going on in the background, like trying to hold a meaningful conversation with someone when they’re busy on their smartphone. This selective attention experiment is a great demonstration, which is worth watching if you have not seen it before. In the experiment, people are asked to count the number of passes in a basketball game, while someone in a gorilla suit walks through the scene. Half the people who watch the video miss the gorilla.
A related challenge is that when our attention is bound to a thought and a related feeling, we’re more likely to automatically identify with it, which then limits who we are. For instance, we drop a glass and say to ourselves in frustration, “I’m so stupid and clumsy”, which then becomes a self-defining judgement and limitation.
We all have goals, aspirations, and expectations about the way we want things to go. Unfortunately, life does not always turn out the way we want it to. And when things don’t go as we hoped, we typically experience a reactive, downward spiral of disappointment, anxiety, lower self-worth and lose the ability to think clearly. Reacting like this has the same effect as sitting in the little box. As well as feeling bad about ourselves and the world around us, we feel smaller, limited and not as smart as we could be.
So how can we access a sense of spaciousness? The good news is that space is already here. It’s not only around the atoms in our body. There’s space in our awareness that contains our thoughts, emotions, and sensations, which all emerge, play out, and dissolve back into space and stillness in their own time.
A good way to access a sense of space during the day is to:
- Take a break, or use a natural break between activities
- If possible, go outside where you can see the sky and a broad horizon
- Bring your attention and awareness to your body and senses
- And reach out with your hearing as far as it will go
- And rest for a few moments in an expanded field of awareness that includes all sounds that come and go, as well as thoughts and emotions.
By learning to access the quiet and expansive space that lies in the background of our experience, we can focus our attention, and respond skilfully rather than react automatically. We also discover the peace and calm, stability and balance, flexibility and freedom that improve our well-being and performance.
Suggested weekly practice
- Remember to tune into listening while walking and experience the broad open space around you
- Notice when you feel limited in your sense of self and expand your awareness to connect with the space that’s always present
- Try resting in space and mentally noting whatever arises in the foreground of your experience. For instance, “Thinking’, “Listening”, “Walking”, “Tasting”, etc.
Guidance
Find somewhere undisturbed and sit in a comfortable, dignified and upright posture, where you can remain alert and aware. There are two guided practices for this session. You can close your eyes, or lower your gaze while the meditations play.
- Play the first settling practice, then read through the session content, which you can print off if that helps.
- Then play the second practice to explore and become familiar with using space as a resource.
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