Welcome to your meditation practice.
I'm Shea.
I am the creator of Curate Soul,
And I am incredibly grateful that you are joining me for this meditation on listening.
This meditation is inspired by the month of Shravana.
This is a month in the Vedic calendar that is considered very auspicious for practices like meditation,
Any spiritual practice,
Any practice that allows us to turn in.
Shravana receives its name from the star constellation of Shravana symbolized by the ear.
This star constellation according to Jyotisha,
Vedic Astrology.
This ear symbolism.
Reminds us that we are always listening,
We are always receiving sound,
And that relationship is listening.
And so this meditation is inspired by all the different ways that we listen,
And I hope will anchor you into remembering or deepening these different ways of listening,
Whether it's to someone speaking,
Whether it's to the sounds of the world around you,
Maybe nature outside,
Birdsong,
Whether it's to the sound of your own thoughts or even the sound of your own breath.
Just noticing over the period of this meditation practice,
But maybe even as you leave the practice and move back into your daily responsibilities,
What do you hear?
What is arising?
What is being said?
What is not being said?
But still.
That you are hearing.
So go ahead and settle into a comfortable seat.
Finding a shape that allows your body to feel supported.
And steady.
So maybe you're seated on a meditation cushion.
Maybe you are seated in a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
You can even be gently reclining,
Maybe on your bed or on the couch.
But allow your spine to be long.
As you're settling,
As you are arriving,
Take a moment to make any adjustments to your clothing,
To your physical body.
And to anything that supports you,
Whether it's pillows or bolsters or blankets.
If you are seated on a solid surface,
Like the earth.
Or wooden chair.
Take a moment to make sure that any large bony areas,
Areas like your joints,
Whether they're knees.
Ankles,
Sit bones.
That they're comfortable.
Maybe some sort of cushioning underneath.
So as that you are sitting for your practice and your body begins to release to gravity to settle down.
That you can remain comfortable and no discomfort began to arise that might pull you out of your practice.
You're welcome to close your eyes completely.
You can also just soften your gaze.
If it would feel nice to take cleansing breaths,
Inhales through the nose and exhales out through an open mouth.
Please take a few of those.
Or maybe some long,
Slow exhales would feel nice.
Sensing the breath grow heavy.
In your body.
Moving into the lowest part of the lungs.
Hands can rest on your legs or in your lap,
Or if you're reclined,
Maybe by your side or over your belly.
Let the hands stack one on top of the other or side by side.
I just ask that you don't interlace your fingers.
That there be a free flow.
Of energy through these areas.
These next few moments begin to observe.
Observe your breath without changing the breath in any way,
Without shaping or counting.
Maybe you begin to sense or feel the breath moving in and out through your nose.
With each exhale breath,
Can you sense your seat growing heavier?
Anchoring down into the support of the earth.
This quality of the earth that is steady and stable.
Allow that quality to begin to move up the length of your spine from the tailbone all the way to the crown of your head.
Sense this stability,
This foundation,
This strength in your spine.
And at the same time,
Allowing your face and your shoulders,
Your belly to stay soft.
Relax.
Now coming back to the awareness of your breath at the tip of your nose,
Sensing or feeling the breath moving in and out through your nose.
Even though awareness is resting at your nose.
There's still this quality of heaviness in the breath,
Meaning that it's moving deep into the body.
Your shoulders,
Chest,
Ribs,
For the most part.
Are completely passive.
Maybe you begin to notice that gentle rise and fall of your navel.
Your belly gently expanding and contracting with each breath.
At deep.
Diaphragmatic breath.
Now begin to listen.
Listen for sounds off in the distance.
Begin to observe all the different sounds,
Allowing your awareness to move from sound to sound.
What are the different sounds that you hear?
Maybe the sound of traffic.
Maybe the sound of birdsong.
Maybe you can hear the wind blowing.
The neighbor doing yard work.
Is it raining outside?
Just continue to listen.
Receiving the sounds of the world around you.
Now allow those sounds to become a background hum.
Draw your awareness into the space where you are.
Listening for the sounds in the space around you.
So in the room around you.
Maybe you hear the hum.
Of a fan blowing.
Maybe you can hear the buzz.
Of electronics.
Or appliances.
Is there a clock ticking?
You hear the sound of the house settling.
Continue to listen.
Awareness moving from sound to sound.
As you're listening to these different sounds in the space around you.
Maybe you're also noticing.
That background hum of the sounds off in the distance.
Now allow those sounds in the room around you to become a part of the background hum.
Draw your awareness inward even more.
And begin to listen for the sound of your breath.
You don't have to change anything about your breath.
No need to make it louder.
Can you hear the sound of your breath?
Among all the sounds.
Of the world around you.
A bong.
The background hum of the external world.
Now allow the sound of your breath to become a part of the background hum.
You're listening inward even more now.
Begin to notice.
The sound of your own thoughts.
Your thoughts more subtle than your breath.
This is a sound that we hear constantly.
Each day.
Whether we are aware of that sound or not.
Allow your thoughts to just arise and dissolve.
Can you listen to your thoughts without being carried away in a conversation with them.
Just like a strong relationship to those around us requires us to listen.
To not always speak.
So that we're able to really hear and understand what is being said.
We have a relationship with ourselves as well.
And we learn to just listen.
To hear.
Without feeling the need to respond.
Continuing to listen to the sound of your thoughts.
Arising.
Dissolving.
You're not trying to empty.
The mind of thought.
You're not trying to control what you're thinking about.
Your mind naturally makes associations to each thought that you have.
Can you just observe?
Each time a new association,
A new thought arises.
Once again,
Instead of being pulled into a conversation.
Pulled into rumination,
Or worry,
Or memory.
Just listen.
As you continue to listen,
Maybe you're able to notice.
Space between each thought.
Let your awareness come to the space between each of your thoughts.
And begin to hear.
That space.
That is silent.
Awareness resting on that silence between each thought.
Still listening.
Your thoughts may continue to arise.
But instead of.
Listening to each thought,
You are now listening.
To that space.
Between each thought.
Slowly allow awareness of that space to dissolve.
You begin to send your awareness slowly outward once again.
Begin to hear the sound of your breath.
The sounds in the room around you.
And then sounds off in the distance.
The background hum of the world becoming distinct individual sounds once again.
Begin to notice,
Feel those places where your body touches the surface that is supporting you.
As your breath continues to deepen.
And you arrive back into the present moment more and more.
You can slowly bring your chin to your chest.
And if you wish,
Hands to heart center,
Palms gently pressing together.
A moment of gratitude for taking the time to listen.
To hear.
To honor all that is being said.
Not just in the world around you,
But that wisdom within you.
What might be arising.
That you're needing to hear.
Slowly bringing thumb knuckles to forehead center.
Together we bow in gratitude to each other and to these teachings.
Thank you so very much for joining.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your day and I would love to receive any sort of insights or feedback or reviews from you.
So please feel free to leave those and I'll be sure to respond.
