Mindful Listening Meditation

This meditation will guide you through a mindful listening practice. Outside sounds can be used in your meditation - they don't need to be a distraction! What's important is that we loosen the story we are telling ourselves about each sound, and the judgement we pass so quickly. Join me to practice being with the sounds in the silence.

Transcript

Hello, Today's meditation is all about mindful listening. Begin by finding your comfortable position, Seated or reclined, Either allowing your eyes to gently close or softening your gaze on the ground a few feet in front of you. Taking a few deep breaths to allow the body and the mind to relax. Breathing in deeply and breathing out slowly. Once more, Breathing in deeply and breathing out slowly. Allowing your physical body to rest and settle into your seat or cushion while allowing your mind to rest as well. Simply putting down your to-do list, Your lists of goals, Anything you need to get done, And just allow yourself to be here. We will begin with some mindful breathing, Bringing your attention to the feeling of the breath and the body, Connecting with the rising and falling of the belly or the chest, Paying attention to the raw physical sensations. Breathing in, Noticing the rising, And breathing out, Noticing the falling. When your mind starts to wander, Simply acknowledge that it has wandered and then invite your attention back into the present moment, Reconnecting with your body and strengthening your ability to be in the present moment. And now moving into our mindful listening practice, Opening up your awareness and noticing any sounds in the environment around you, Seeing if you can notice all the different sounds going on. In mindfulness practices, We seek a non-judgmental present moment awareness, So allow yourself to be aware of the sounds without judging them. Being the observer, Hearing animals in the background, Maybe hearing cars or traffic, There is no need to push any of this away, Simply notice it. You might notice planes in the sky or other very distant sounds. Whatever sounds you notice, Simply observe, Continue to bring your attention back to the present moment. When you notice that your mind has gotten lost in thought, Simply acknowledge that you've been thinking and gently bring your attention back to the sounds in your environment. See if you can stay curious about sounds, Even when there are no sounds, Allowing yourself to be open and receptive. Notice if you are judging any sounds, Not to judge the judgment, But simply to notice. How are we relating to different sounds? Perhaps setting the intention to be open and accepting of all sounds. Seeing if we cannot get lost in the stories behind the sounds, The stories we might be telling ourselves about the sounds, But instead connecting with the raw vibration, The raw texture of the sounds. As if all the sounds around you are a beautiful painting, Allowing yourself to watch this painting being made. Then you can bring your attention back to the feeling of the breath in your body, Reconnecting with the rising and falling of the belly or the chest. Maybe connecting with how you feel in the present moment and taking a deep, Centering breath, Inhaling and exhaling. If your eyes were closed, You can softly blink them open, Bringing yourself fully back into the space with a newfound appreciation for the sounds around you. Thank you so much for joining me for this meditation. Take care.