Hi friend.
For today's open eye meditation,
We will focus our attention on sounds.
Begin by finding a comfortable posture.
During our meditation,
Tuning in to your other senses can facilitate a strong feeling of presence and awareness.
In mindfulness practices,
The focus is often on the feelings in the body and the thoughts in the mind.
You can use the sounds around you as the object of your awareness.
Sounds come and go throughout your day and offer a consistent focal point for your mindful attention.
No matter where you live,
Removing all sound is nearly impossible.
During meditation,
One approach is to investigate the experience of hearing.
Now let's gently close your eyes for a moment.
Taking a few deep breaths,
Inhaling and exhaling to center yourself.
Now softly open your eyes.
But don't focus on anything in particular.
Let your gaze be soft.
Rest in them about four feet in front of you.
If you choose,
You can face a blank wall to avoid distractions.
Or choose something simple to get lost in without straining your eyes.
Bring your awareness to the breath.
But instead of focusing on the physical feeling of breathing,
Listen to the sound of the body breathing.
Inhaling and exhaling through the nostrils.
Listen closely to any noises coming from the breath.
Open up your awareness to the other sounds present.
You may notice cars passing,
Noises within your home,
Or sounds from nature.
Whatever is present,
Tune into it.
The mind habitually recognizes what it hears.
When a car goes by,
You immediately know it is a car.
Instead of identifying and defining each sound,
Try to focus on the actual experience of hearing.
Imagine your ears as microphones just picking up sound.
Recognize the rising and passing of the noise,
How far away it appears,
And from what direction it is coming.
As one sound grabs your awareness,
Tune into it for a few moments.
Experience the sound fully.
Then,
Open the mind and listen for other noises.
Hearing mindfully,
Continue listening,
Investigating,
And opening up.
Return to the breath for a minute.
Without forcing or straining,
Encourage the mind to collect itself fully Encourage the mind to collect itself fully onto the sound of the breath in the body.
Slowly come back to the whole environment around you and move back into your life.
Maintain some awareness of the sounds in your life.
Notice the act of hearing during your day and let it draw you back into present-time awareness.
Thank you for letting me join you on this journey,
And I wish you peace,
Clarity,
And joy as you continue to explore the world of open-eye meditation.
Take care,
My friend.
