Greetings,
Everyone,
And welcome to this Monday's Meditation on the Lawn offered by the University of Virginia.
I am John Bultman,
Yoga program manager at the Contemplative Sciences Center.
I've been leading a sustainable yoga program here since the CSC started about nine years ago.
When I was first starting meditation practice,
External sounds bothered me a bit more than they do now,
But I'm slowly learning another way out is through.
So I thought I'd share a preliminary exercise someone taught me on a rooftop at 1 a.
M.
On my first trip to India before I went off to do my postural yoga practice.
Now at 1 a.
M.
In India,
There are lots of sounds.
You might hear rickshaws,
Cows,
Car bells,
Chanting,
Clanging pots,
Etc.
You name it.
This meditation will attempt to stretch our sense of sound and appreciate their sources.
So to that end,
It will be easier without headphones.
However,
If you have to use headphones,
That's okay.
You may just stick with the first part of the meditation,
Keeping your attention on the innermost sounds.
So I invite you to sit comfortably,
Somewhat straight if that's available,
And relaxed,
Not rigid,
Not moving relative to your center if possible.
As this will mostly be an auditory meditation practice,
You may close your eyes now or keep them slightly open.
Keep your awareness alert and relaxed.
So let's start by trying to listen to your breath.
Notice the breath has a beginning,
Middle,
And an end,
Both the inhale and the exhale.
Don't try to control the breath.
Don't try to make it louder or softer or deeper or slower.
Just let the breath be natural.
You may place your awareness at the tip of your nose or at the tummy,
Wherever feels right to you.
When the in-breath begins,
Mentally count the number one.
And when the out-breath begins,
Mentally count two.
And again,
When the inhale comes,
Mentally count three and four and so on,
Up to ten.
If at any time you lose count of the breath,
Go back to the number one.
And if you make it all the way up to ten without distraction,
Away from the breath,
You may drop the counting and focus solely on the breath.
Remember,
The point is not the counting,
But just to anchor awareness on the breath in each moment.
And focus on no other sounds or thoughts.
Be present with every part of your breath.
Don't additively go to sleep these days.
Now,
Let's investigate even more subtle sounds.
Perhaps we can even start to hear our heartbeat.
So it may help you to place your two fingers on your pulse to tune in to your subtle heartbeat.
Tune in to that subtle pulse.
Gently place your attention here.
There was a time when someone else appreciated that heartbeat so much.
You can too.
Now,
Let's try telescoping out a bit.
We'll start listening to sounds in your room.
Perhaps you can hear an appliance,
A hum of a particular light,
Computer,
A pet,
Or someone else in your building.
Let's go even further.
Gently direct your attention to sounds.
Even further.
If you are in a completely quiet room,
Imagine the sounds outside your room.
You might even imagine the sounds on the lawn.
People waking.
You might hear the refrigerator or a vehicle on a road far away.
Or a bird,
Perhaps a plane.
What's the furthest sound you might hear?
Now focus on that farthest away sound.
Put your attention there.
What does it sound like as your mind gets nearer to the faraway sound?
What might it even look like if you were to witness it close up?
Take a moment to cultivate gratitude for these inner and outer sounds and their sources.
And then let's slowly bring our attention back to the breath.
Where we started this anchoring exercise.
And as we bring this practice to a close,
Slowly tune into your surroundings and their subtleties.
You may open your eyes if they were closed.
See if you can maintain an awareness of sounds and their sources throughout the day.
Look at their frequency and magnitude.
Do they change throughout the day?
Perhaps maybe even take a moment to appreciate them and zoom in to these various faraway and near sounds.
And appreciate them again and again.
Thank you all for joining me today.
I invite you all back the following week.
Or to join me or others that offer instruction through the Contemplative Sciences Center.
You can learn more about our programs we offer at csc.
Virginia.
Edu.
So thank you all.
And have a wonderful day.
