So I wanted to offer a brief practice on helping you bring yourself back to the present moment,
Maybe when you're feeling stressed out or overwhelmed or in need of a little break.
I started this practice this summer when we were going to the pool a lot.
So our community pool was pretty good about keeping chairs socially distance,
Not allowing too many people in the pool.
But there were moments where I just wanted to have some quiet,
Some peace,
Maybe even take a nap.
But the people around me,
Their conversations,
The noise made it hard for me to just let go.
So this is a listening meditation,
And it brings you back to yourself because we're tuning into what we're hearing.
But it's also a way to sort of let go of the meaning we make from whatever it is we're hearing or identifying with any particular sound.
And that can be very liberating.
So take a moment and find a comfortable position.
You can sit on the floor.
You can sit on a chair or couch.
You can do this laying down.
I think it works best if you're outside,
But you can do it anywhere.
So taking a moment to tuning into you right here,
Wherever you feel your body touching a surface.
So if you're sitting on a chair,
Noticing your butt in the chair,
Your feet on the floor,
If you're outside,
Wherever you are,
If you're standing,
Just noticing your feet on the ground,
If you're laying down,
Noticing the points where your body makes contact with the bed or the floor or the couch.
Giving yourself a moment to just be here,
Giving yourself permission to take these moments and allow yourself this brief break from whatever it is you were doing.
And now take a deep breath in,
Counting to five and exhaling for five.
Another deep breath in,
Count to five.
Exhaling out for five.
And one more just like that.
And now just allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Tuning into that,
Listening in,
Noticing where you hear your breath in your body.
Maybe hear the noise of your breath in your nose or the sound of your mouth or your nose as you exhale.
But just tuning into that,
How your breath sounds as it enters your body and leaves your body as you exhale.
And now I want you to expand your listening to sounds that might be nearby.
Maybe you can hear your body as it shifts on the chair or your clothes,
If they rustle as your breath goes in and out.
Maybe you can hear a clock ticking or your phone vibrating.
Just allow those sounds to wash over you as they come and go into your awareness without focusing too much on any one sound,
Just allowing any of the sounds that are nearby to come and go into your awareness.
And now broaden that awareness to sounds that are farther away.
If you're inside sounds that are happening outside the room or your home or your office,
Wherever you are.
Maybe you can hear cars driving by or birds chirping or dogs barking.
But I like to imagine as if my ears are more open than usual,
As if,
Almost as if there is a megaphone,
Except we're able to just hear at greater depths what the sounds are around us,
Almost as if your ears could dilate your ear canals and you are opening yourself up to more sound.
And just let those sounds come and go,
Whatever they are.
Again,
Without focusing too much and if you find that you're following one sound more closely,
Just bring your awareness back to all the sounds and your ears expanding to bring in and wash over you all the sounds that you're hearing.
And you can do this meditation with your eyes open or closed.
And you can even do it as you're walking or sitting still.
But just being with all the sounds as they enter into your awareness,
As they flow through your ear canal and register in your brain,
Just allowing all the sounds.
It might be conversations,
It might be birds chirping,
It might be the wind blowing.
Just let them flow through you.
And now I want you to tune into your body.
Just notice any sensations that you're experiencing right now.
It could be pain potentially if you're uncomfortable.
It could be tingling.
It could just be the contact points of your body and wherever you're sitting or lying or standing.
I just want you to notice any and all of the sensations of your body that are happening right now.
And bring your attention back to your breath,
Noticing the air as it enters and leaves your body.
Just for a few more moments.
And now slowly moving your fingers and your toes,
Stretching your body in a way that feels good for you.
And when you're ready,
Opening your eyes,
Bringing yourself back to the room or the outside or wherever you are.
And thanking yourself for giving you this time right here,
Right now.
I find meditations like that where I am really focusing in on one sensory experience,
Really,
Really.
They just open up so much within me and they really help me feel grounded and relaxed in a way that's different from other meditations.
I don't know if any of you have ever done a mindful eating exercise where you're really just paying attention to the food that you're eating,
The taste,
The textures,
The smell.
But anyway,
I just,
I like the more focused,
Sometimes the more focused meditation on a particular sense.
And listening to me can take us out of our bodies in a way that can be helpful,
Especially if we tend to get caught up in ruminating,
Worrying,
Sort of thought cycling.
The listening to me just opens us up to other possibilities,
Just opens us up to experience what's happening right now outside ourselves.
As I said,
This meditation can be done with eyes open or closed inside or outside.
And that's why I like it.
You can even do it when you're driving.
Just make sure you're paying attention to the cars on the road,
Too.
