One way to think about mindfulness and effort in meditation practice is to imagine a graph where the X axis is volition (doing things on purpose), and the Y axis is consciousness, or being aware of what’s happening. Here’s a talk on this model, some pictures, and a handout to put on the fridge.

Meditation: stillness of body, stillness of mind, shepherding your state (wise effort).
(Recorded on 10.16.18 at Insight Meditation Satsang, Berkeley, CA)

Talk: Four modes of attention: conscious-directed, conscious-undirected, unconscious-undirected, unconscious-directed.
(Recorded on 10.16.18 at Insight Meditation Satsang, Berkeley, CA)