Labelling / Noting - Leading To Open Awareness

The technique of labelling, or 'noting', can be a helpful way to become cognisant of the activity of our mind - of just how often it jumps from one stimulus to the next. It can also be a helpful precursor to dropping into a practice of 'Open Awareness', or resting back into the very nature of our essential self, our true being, where techniques drop away and we allow all experience to arise and dissolve in the space of awareness itself.

Transcript

Welcome to this practice of labeling, Or noting, As this meditation technique is sometimes known. It's a fairly simple technique and it's one that I often like to use as a precursor for dropping into open awareness, Where the technique falls away and we simply rest back into the nature of our being. So to begin with, Just making sure that you are somewhere comfortable. You can let the body begin to shift toward relative stillness. This meditation can be practiced either with eyes open or eyes closed, Whatever feels like the most appropriate for you. Maybe just to begin, We can take a couple of rounds of grounding breaths, Following the inhalation in. Perhaps a sigh out through the mouth, Letting the shoulders soften. Again, That smooth breath in, Followed by a gentle release, And allowing the body to find its own rhythm for the breath, Its own pace. I'll work with labels around the senses today, And the senses that tend to be the ones that are kind of most alive, Most active for most of us, Most of the time. And if the particular words that I offer you don't work for you, Don't resonate, Then of course feel free to substitute your own. And as we drop into the practice, The idea is going to be to notice what is arising in your experience, What is at the forefront of any given moment. If what you notice is that there's a play of light and shadow or colors on the eyelids if the eyes are closed, Or simply that we're aware of what is happening in front of us if the eyes are open, Then we'll be applying the label seeing, Seeing. If instead what is coming to the forefront of our awareness is the soundscape of the environment around us, Maybe a particular single noise or something recurring, Then applying the label hearing, Hearing. Similarly if the sensation that is kind of right at the top of what we're aware of is a sensation from the body, A physical sensation, Then you can apply the label feeling, Feeling. It's likely that the senses of smell and of taste are fairly dormant at the moment, But of course you can bring those into the mix too. And one other thing that we will layer over the top is when what's arising at the forefront of our awareness is thought. And then we can simply apply the label thinking, Thinking. Allow the body to soften. It's almost as if the mind also gently rests back, And then allowing ourselves to observe, To witness what's arising in this space of awareness. What's arising in this moment. And in this one. And if and when the mind drifts into thought, Knowing that this is not a failure of our meditation, But rather the factor of noticing is almost a mini awakening in its own right. And simply applying the label thinking, Thinking. And then returning to practice. Over time you might choose to drop the practice of labeling. Mind, Attention, Rest back into this space of awareness in which all things arise. And dissolve. In which all things appear and disappear. We draw our practice together to a close. Perhaps taking a moment just to reflect on how often it is that our attention shifts from object to object. From sensation to sensation. And maybe a moment to reflect on what it felt like to drop the technique. To simply rest in the nature of our very being. Have a beautiful rest of your day.