Listening Awareness

Sometimes breath awareness meditations can be difficult. If tuning into your breath makes you feel more anxious or in distress a listening awareness meditation can be a good alternative. In this meditation you tune in to the sounds you hear around you as an anchor, instead of the breath.

Transcript

This is a listening meditation. For some of us, Breath awareness can be difficult. That tuning into the breath, Tuning into the body can make us more anxious or uncomfortable. So this is a nice alternative. And know that at any time, For any meditation, If what you're feeling is more distress than relief, If you're feeling as if being in meditation is triggering parts of you that you're not ready for in that moment, You can always stop the meditation. You can always open your eyes and move and come back to it when you're ready. So for this meditation, We'll be paying attention to sounds. So get yourself in a comfortable position, Either seated in a chair with feet flat on the floor, Sitting upright and yet relaxed, Or sitting on a cushion on the floor or laying down. And if it feels comfortable, Close your eyes or gaze softly at the floor or at a point in front of you. And now I want you to focus your attention on sounds that you're hearing here in the room or nearby if you're outside, Sounds that are close to you. So it might be your breath, It might be my voice, It could be people having a conversation nearby, Whatever sounds that you're noticing in this moment near you, Just focus your attention on those. And if your mind wanders, Which it probably will, Away from the sounds, Just bring your attention and your focus back to the sounds that you're hearing. And now I'd like you to broaden your awareness to the sounds that you hear outside the room. It could be people in a nearby office or someone upstairs in your home or someone in another room or maybe a favorite pet or animal. Whatever sounds that you're hearing, Just allow them to flow in and out of your focus, Flow in and out of your listening awareness like waves on the ocean or clouds drifting softly through the sky, Letting the sounds wash over you as they come and go out of your awareness. And when your mind wanders to thoughts or worries or planning, Just notice that it's moved on and bring it back to the sounds that you're hearing without judgment, Without making too much of the fact that your mind has wandered because our minds always wander. It's just what they do. And now I'd like you to broaden your awareness of sound even further. So allowing the sounds all around you, Inside your home, Outside your home, Inside your office, Outside, Letting those sounds enter into your awareness, Again, Just flowing in and out and maybe it's the wind outside or birds chirping, Maybe it's cars or people walking by, Whatever the sounds are, Trying not to latch onto any one sound but just allowing all of the things you're hearing and listening to enter and move out of your awareness. Maybe you can imagine that your ears have opened even further to bring in all the surrounding sounds. And when you're ready, Bringing your awareness back to your body, Wiggling your toes, Moving your hands and your fingers, Stretching your body if needed and opening your eyes when you're ready. Know that you can use this listening awareness meditation anytime that feels comfortable to you, Helping you bring a sense of focus and ease to your day. And I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.

Reviews

Lovely! Great way to develop awareness without having to close your eyes and "meditate." It's more like walking mediation.

Cool reminder. Sounds, for me, can turn into thoughts, busywork for my mind, that requires rest from time to time. Allowing sounds to pass me by, by observing and attending, allows me to experience the nothing realization that i, am not my thoughts. To rest.