Listening before thought.
Take a moment to be still.
Now take a long,
Deep breath.
Pause gently at the top of your breath,
Then slowly exhale.
Pause again and inhale once more.
Continue in this way until the body begins to be fully relaxed.
There is no need to adjust anything here.
There is nothing to prepare for.
Just be here,
Relaxed,
Still and open.
Before the mind stirs,
Before a thought appears,
There is something quietly present.
Before words or labels arise,
Before any action is needed,
There is a subtle listening,
A quiet presence of awareness.
Not listening for anything in particular,
Just silently present,
Aware,
Open to all.
Perhaps there are sounds,
Distant sounds,
Nearby sounds.
Notice that listening,
This quiet awareness,
Is already happening,
Effortlessly.
You are not creating it and you are not managing it.
Awareness is simply present.
Even when there are no obvious sounds,
There is still an openness,
A quiet,
Aware space,
Not expecting,
Just here and present.
Notice a thought may arise,
But before the thought is known,
Before it is named or followed,
There is this same subtle listening,
This same awareness.
You do not need to stop thinking.
You do not need to be vigilant.
Just notice what is here before thought comments or judges.
A sound appears.
Awareness is already here.
A sensation is felt.
Awareness is already here.
A thought arises.
Awareness again is already here.
Awareness does not try.
It does not search.
It does not desire.
It simply is.
And notice,
Awareness itself is not a thought.
It is present before thought,
Open,
Silent,
Naturally here.
Rest now as this open listening,
This natural awareness.
Not as effort,
Not as a technique,
But as something already unfolding with whatever is happening moment by moment.
If the mind becomes busy,
Awareness is present.
If there is silence,
Awareness again is present.
Awareness does not come and go with or without experience.
It is here permanently,
Present before all activity.
For a few moments now,
Do nothing,
Be still.
There is no need to seek out awareness.
It is already here.
Now,
As this meditation comes to a close,
Notice how natural and effortless this all is.
Nothing mystical,
Nothing complicated,
Nothing to achieve.
Just a quiet presence of being aware,
Before sensing,
Before thought,
Before action.
If you feel inspired to begin now a regular meditation practice,
You may wish to continue with the track,
The ABCs in Setting Up a Meditation Practice,
Where we explore simple,
Practical ways to begin your practice.
But for now,
Be here,
Silent,
Open and aware.
You are this quiet,
Natural presence of awareness,
As life unfolds around you in every moment.
