Mindfulness - Mental Noting

Mental noting is a simple method, where we use the default process of thinking to stay present rather than have it carry us away into the past or future. This is the practice of using a simple “note” to calmly name what we are experiencing. When we sit to meditate, we will find our minds raging with thoughts. As thoughts flow by, we mentally note the type of thoughts in a very general way. We can note our thoughts as remembering, judging, planning, believing, worrying, fantasizing, or some combination of them. These are by no means the only categories. We can assign any other category or note as we see fit. This is a gentle and restorative practice to clear the mind of worrying thoughts or discomfort, by grounding ourselves into the here and now.

Transcript

Welcome to the meditation entitled Mental Noting.

Take a moment to let the body settle in a comfortable position.

Relax the whole body.

Keep your head,

Neck and back erect but not rigid.

Keep the hands comfortably placed on the lap or on the knees if sitting.

Keep the hands on the sides if lying down.

Intentionally,

Cultivate an attitude of patience,

Gentleness and kindness towards yourself.

Allow your eyes to gently close and tune in to the feeling of the breath flowing in and out of the body.

Focus your attention on the sensation of the breath moving past the nostrils or on the sensation of the breath moving into the belly,

Lifting it during each in-breath and receding gently on each out-breath.

Follow the breath as it comes in and goes out.

Now,

Bring the awareness to the thinking process.

Ignore body sensations,

Ignore sights and sounds and focus exclusively on the flow of thoughts.

As thoughts flow by,

Mentally note the type of thoughts,

That is remembering,

Judging,

Planning,

Believing,

Worrying,

Fantasizing or some combination of them.

Perform this mental noting process very gently.

Try not to get involved in the story of the thought.

When there are no thoughts,

Gently bring your attention back to the breath.

Now,

Bring the awareness to the thinking process.

Ignore the thoughts,

That is remembering,

Planning,

Believing,

Worrying,

Fantasizing or some combination of them.

Now,

Bring the awareness to the thinking process.

Ignore the thoughts,

That is remembering,

Planning,

Believing,

Worrying,

Fantasizing or some combination of them.

Now,

Bring the awareness to the thinking process.

Ignore the thoughts,

That is remembering,

Planning,

Believing,

Worrying,

Fantasizing or some combination of them.

Now,

Bring the awareness to the thinking process.

Ignore the thoughts,

That is remembering,

Planning,

Believing,

Worrying,

Fantasizing or some combination of them.

Now,

Bring the awareness to the thinking process.

Ignore the thoughts,

That is remembering,

Planning,

Believing,

Worrying,

Fantasizing or some combination of them.

Now,

Bring the awareness to the thinking process.

Ignore the thoughts,

That is remembering,

Planning,

Believing,

Worrying,

Fantasizing or some combination of them.

Now,

Bring the awareness to the thinking process.

Ignore the thoughts,

That is remembering,

Planning,

Believing,

Worrying,

Fantasizing or some combination of them.

As thoughts flow by,

Mentally note the type of thoughts,

That is remembering,

Judging,

Planning,

Believing,

Worrying,

Fantasizing or some combination of them.

As thoughts flow by,

Mentally note the type of thoughts,

That is remembering,

Judging,

Planning,

Believing,

Worrying,

Fantasizing or some combination of them.

Perform this mental noting process very gently.

Try not to get involved in the story of the thoughts.

When there are no thoughts,

Gently bring your attention back to the breath.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

As thoughts flow by,

Mentally note the type of thoughts,

That is remembering,

Judging,

Planning,

Believing,

Worrying,

Fantasizing or some combination of them.

As thoughts flow by,

Mentally note the type of thoughts,

That is remembering,

Judging,

Planning,

Believing,

Worrying,

Fantasizing or some combination of them.

Perform this mental noting process very gently.

Try not to get involved in the story of the thoughts.

When there are no thoughts,

Gently bring your attention back to the breath.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We now come to an end of this meditation.

Please stay centered for a few moments to dedicate the merits of this practice.

May I live with ease.

May all beings be happy.

May all beings be peaceful.

May all beings live with ease.

Reviews

Much gratitude for your meditation.
Your timing was beautifully spaced and the guidance was warm and helpful .

Thank you for the practice. I liked the simple instructions and the space for practice. 🙏

Thank you for the silence and the few gentle reminders. Thank you for the blessings at the end: so good!

Excellent pace and excellent mindfulness practice. Labeling thoughts is something I have been working on and continue to work on. Will come back to this meditation.

Just the right amount of silence

This was very helpful and I will be practicing again. Thank you!

It is a very simple uncomplicated meditation no background music no distractions just you. It worked for me, thank you x

Im not often finding enough time in guided meditations to work through that matter which I am presented with before other lessons or continuity. Today your meditation allowed me time to be. Thank you. Peace, Love n Cheer!

Very helpful! Thank you.

Well paced, good timing and concise guidance. I will recommend this for my patients as well! Thank you! Namaste 🙏

Thank you 🙏🏻 lovely 😊

Subtle and perfectly executed, leading me like a new born babe seeing one’s thoughts clearly for the first time!
Well done.
A thousand thank yous.

I loved the amount of silence to get deep into my practice. Thank you.

Excellent meditation. Namaste.

Amazing peaceful practice. Great pacing for silence. Loved it. 🙏🏼🌈🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼

When I meditate, it is usually with music, however it was quite refreshing to meditate without music and focus on the breath. Ending with positive mantras was great. Thank u.

I love this! Made me feel centered and self-aware. Thank you!

This will be helpful at various times I struggle to focus or center. Thank you.

I love these types of meditations because they help with my busy mind. This meditation was thoughtfully and tenderly rendered.