Hi everyone.
I'm here today to offer you a meditation based on listening to the sounds around you.
So this is different from some of the other meditations we've done that have been more breath focused.
This one is focusing on sound.
I'm recording this meditation on the beach near my home on Cape Cod.
So as I speak and as we move into the meditation you may hear the sounds of the ocean or birds in the background.
These days so many of us are practicing yoga,
Meditating,
Spending a lot of time in our own homes and we realize that there is sound around us all the time and so often we can't control it.
This meditation teaches us to experience sounds with a sense of openness and spaciousness and whether we interpret the sound to be pleasant or unpleasant and distracting.
To relax into it whatever it is and to stay calm even when we can't control what's happening around us.
So as you get ready to start this meditation find a comfortable place,
Comfortable position for your body whether it be seated or lying down.
Take any props that you might need to feel supported and comfortable.
And then either close your eyes or allow your gaze to find a soft point of focus.
And let your breath flow naturally.
No need to try to control it or manipulate it in any way.
Now open this meditation with a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke.
When anxious,
Uneasy and bad thoughts come,
I go to the sea.
And the sea drowns them out with its great wide sounds,
Cleanses me with its noise and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me that is bewildered and confused.
So as you settle in to this time for your meditation,
Be open to whatever sounds might be in your environment wherever you are.
Try not to chase after sound or push it away.
Just be open to whatever sounds are around you.
Hear the sounds that are near and sounds that are far away.
Sound rises and passes.
You can notice any change in intensity and volume.
No judgment.
No reaching out to listen.
Relax and let the sounds come to you.
Is there a pocket of silence within the sound or after the sound?
Just notice.
If you find yourself getting tense in reaction to a sound,
Just notice that.
Just let it be.
Stay open to the next sound that comes along.
The sound Click.
Noticing and accepting whatever sounds are around you.
Can you listen with your whole awareness?
Can you start to listen inwardly?
How does your body react to sounds?
Being receptive and open to whatever is going on inside.
How does your body react to sounds?
How does your body react to sounds?
When anxious,
Uneasy and bad thoughts come,
I go to the sea and the sea drowns them out with its great wide sounds.
Cleanses me with its noise and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me that is bewildered and confused.
Inviting some gentle movement into your body.
Wiggling your fingers and your toes.
Opening your eyes only as you're ready.
Reaching your arms up over your head,
Taking a deep breath in.
Drawing your hands to your heart center as you breathe out.
Placing one palm over the other,
Right on your chest,
Over your heart space.
Taking a moment to quietly listen here.
Listening outwardly.
Listening inwardly.
Accepting what we can't change.
But knowing that there is a place of stillness,
Of quiet and of inner peace that is with us no matter what is going on around us.
Until I see you again,
Yogis.
Sending you much love and I hope to see you soon.
