Hello and welcome,
I'm Mario.
This is the first episode in a series of episodes consisting of mini bite-sized challenges or experiments all of which are aimed at helping you become more aware,
More present,
More engaged with reality as it is.
Today we're going to try a small awareness exercise.
You don't have to close your eyes,
Or sit perfectly.
Just pause for a moment,
Wherever you are,
Whatever you're doing.
This one's about listening without naming.
Most of the time,
As soon as we hear something,
The mind instantly gives it a name.
A car,
A bird,
Even a feeling,
Or the voice of someone you know.
It happens so fast we hardly notice it.
But what if,
For a moment,
We pause before the labeling happens?
What if we could experience life before thought shapes it?
That's what this experiment is about.
To see how thought quietly colors the world we live in.
A good example to illustrate this is to consider how you listen to a great song for the very first time.
You're engaged,
You're submerged in the music.
But after multiple listens,
It becomes familiar because the mind has labeled it,
The mind recognizes it.
But when we catch this process,
It creates space for something wonderful to happen.
And perhaps in this space,
We can hear the song again as if for the very first time.
For the next few minutes,
Let's explore what happens when we simply listen before thought shapes what we hear.
Take a nice deep breath and begin by noticing the sounds around you.
Don't search for them,
Just allow them to appear in awareness.
Notice how some are close,
Some are far away,
Some are constant,
Some are flickering.
Try not to name them.
Instead,
Hear their texture,
The hum,
The pulse,
The rhythm,
The quality of the sound.
And see if you can sense the space in which all sounds come and go.
And while you do this,
When a label arises like car,
Voice,
Dog,
Simply notice the label and then return to the pure sound underneath.
So for the next 60 seconds,
Try this out for yourself.
Did you notice how the mind wants to explain everything it hears?
That naming gives the illusion of control,
But it also filters the direct experience of listening.
When we let sound just be sound,
There's a quiet clarity,
A freedom from interpretation.
And this is what it means to see or hear how thought shapes our reality.
And you can do this anytime,
Anywhere.
You can actually be quite fun noticing how thought is shaping everything,
Labeling everything.
Thank you for listening.
Be sure to drop me a follow so that you can keep up with these mini experiments.
There's plenty more to come.
Until next time,
Stay present.
