This exercise will explore the modulations of your mind.
Eastern tradition,
This is called Nath yoga,
Western tradition called by Plato as music of the spheres.
Today we will stick to the scientific mode of exploration into the stillness and subtle notions within.
The modulations of mind can be as follows.
Engaging in the senses,
Withdrawal of the senses,
Concentration on a thought or emotion form,
Detaching from a thought or motive form and then finally absorption into the observer itself.
This will become clear as we practice.
The basic premise for this is that the mind and the seer are separate entities.
The mind is emergent in nature and has a quality that depends on sensory data streams and the number of possibilities it can act.
With this exercise we will cultivate our attention beyond the dimension of these thought forms into the pure perception and observation.
So we're really practicing that detachment and then absorption.
So as a summary,
Normally we use outer perception to intensely quantify and judge things.
Here we are practicing the opposite polarity,
We're practicing non-judgment and perception.
So whenever you're ready,
Take a deep breath in and a deep breath out through the mouth.
And I invite you to connect to your attention,
Specifically your sense of hearing.
What can you hear that's closest to you?
Could be your heartbeat,
Could be your breath.
Noticing where that sound is specifically and just trying to isolate it with your attention.
Noticing where that sound is.
Noticing where your attention is in relation to the sound,
Seeing if you can create that space.
And then if you can,
Noticing where you're observing or guiding your own attention.
This will allow you to detach from the attention itself and just noticing where you can place your attention.
And don't worry if you have any thoughts or emotions come up,
We're not necessarily trying to control anything but simply work with the mind.
Coming back to center with the attention and running it to the far distance.
What can you hear that's furthest away from you?
Noticing where that sound is.
Noticing where your attention is in relation to that sound,
Seeing if you can create that space of non-identification and of course non-reactivity.
And then if you can,
See where you're observing your own attention.
And if you're able to practice just staying there,
That will just allow you to absorb into that observation.
And in this way we can notice the mind and its thought forms start to begin to settle and calm,
Bringing the attention back to center,
Taking a deep breath in and out again.
So this can be a great way to cultivate our attention in the personal and professional setting.
