Personal Noting Practice

This meditation is an exercise is self-awareness in regards to how you use your technology. In today's digitally driven world, we are mindlessly reaching for our gadgets and are unaware of how much time, energy and attachment we have to them.

Transcript

Welcome to this meditation for engaging in a personal noting practice with your smartphone.

The idea of noting is very simple.

It's about developing a light awareness of a thought,

A feeling,

Or a bodily sensation.

Thinking can be a very powerful distraction.

Mental noting is a practice of using a simple note or word to calmly name what you're experiencing in the moment.

It's like whispering to your own mind and it helps bring to your conscious awareness what your internal experience is.

Mental noting helps you stay present in the moment rather than continually getting carried away by your thoughts or feelings or bodily sensations.

Mental noting gives the thinking mind something to do which supports mindfulness.

And many people find that it's a useful way to interrupt the incessant flow of intrusive and compulsive thoughts.

Very importantly,

Mental noting doesn't involve analysis or judgment.

It's more about just giving your current experience a one-word label to help bring its nature to the forefront of your consciousness.

For example,

When you hear a sound you might note hearing without thinking further about that sound.

Other common mental notes,

Which you might even say out loud or silently to yourself,

Are seeing,

Touching,

Feeling,

And thinking.

So let's try that now.

The idea of noting is not about getting rid of a thought or analyzing it.

It's more about learning how to notice a thought and watch it come and then go.

It's a way of gently observing.

A great way to do this is by picturing your thoughts floating by like clouds in the sky.

So go ahead and put your phone down for now.

Close your eyes and take a nice deep breath.

Inhale and exhale.

And dedicate the short amount of time that you're setting aside for this practice just for you.

Make sure that you're in a comfortable and still position which might be sitting down with your feet flat on the floor,

Kneeling,

Sitting on the floor,

Or standing still.

Imagine a clear blue sky on a beautiful day.

Picture yourself sitting on the grass in an open field.

There are colorful flowers and small patches all around you and there's a breeze gently blowing across your skin.

The heat from the sun makes you feel warm and safe.

There are different ways of watching and observing the mind.

You can do it intensely or in a playful light manner.

The lighter approach is often much better.

As you begin this process,

Try and release any judgments or expectations about your mind.

Drop into your breath and allow your mind to move at its own pace,

Whatever that is.

It's not about putting in the effort or forcing anything to happen.

Instead,

It's about letting go,

Letting your mind wander just like those fluffy white clouds.

Mental noting is all about learning how to sit with your thoughts and smile at them and let them go whatever way they want.

So now that you're settled in,

See if you can do that now.

As you relax and breathe,

Notice whatever thoughts come into your mind without judging them or getting caught up in them.

There's no thought that's good or bad or right or wrong.

Simply make a mental note and then let the thought move on.

Now,

You're ready to go.

Try that for a moment on your own.

If things get too heavy,

If you notice any obsessing or disturbing or upsetting thoughts coming,

Try to relax and let go.

You can do it in a way that you can't imagine.

You can't imagine it in a way that you can't imagine.

You can't imagine it in a way that you can't imagine.

If you notice any obsessing or disturbing or upsetting thoughts coming,

See if you can return your attention to the idea of those beautiful white clouds in the clear blue sky.

You're simply watching your thoughts come and go.

And if it's an unpleasant thought,

You can notice it for a moment and then let it go.

Notice what kinds of thoughts and feelings you observe floating by.

You don't have to write them down or even think about them.

Just notice them for a moment.

And as you do this,

You may notice how quickly your thoughts arise and then fade away.

Notice how quickly your thoughts arise and then fade away.

Notice how you're feeling.

And notice how everything in life is fluid.

Nothing is fixed.

Even those intense thoughts may come and go.

And you can use this same method when using your smartphone.

It can be particularly valuable there because of that tendency of the smartphone to capture and hold on to our attention in a way that doesn't feel fluid,

In a way that feels fixed and captivating.

So let's try that now.

Go ahead and open up your eyes.

See if you can see anything.

And notice how everything is fixed and captivating.

So let's try that now.

Go ahead and open up your eyes and pick up your smartphone.

Wake it up.

And as you gaze at the home screen,

Gently note how you're feeling.

You can also do this when looking at a website or by going on to social media or opening up a messaging app and looking at a message.

Pause,

Notice,

And pay attention to exactly how you feel.

Notice whether there's any differences in how you feel between now and when before you picked up the phone.

As you look at that screen or maybe hear sounds coming out of the phone,

Pay attention to any feelings you have in reaction.

Any feelings of tension in your body changes in your breath.

Now try putting some simple words to what you're experiencing while holding your phone.

Use single simple words like seeing,

Hearing,

Touching,

To note whatever's at the forefront of your attention.

And that's really all that's involved with the process of mental noting.

It's a practice in paying attention to what is at the forefront of your attention and observing it without judging it and without trying to change it.

Attaching words can help many of us to clarify what our experience is.

And by pausing and forcing yourself to pay attention and attach a word to these thoughts and feelings and bodily sensations,

And by practicing that over time,

You can cultivate the ability to be more aware of your own experience.

And as a result of that,

To make more conscious and deliberate and wise decisions about how you use technology.

I hope you found this noting practice to be helpful.

And thanks so much for joining me in this session today.

Reviews

Very interesting medidation. I will try to use this technique throughout the day. Thank you 🙏

Simple and effective.

Great concept & suggestions.The only critique I would add is giving more quiet space between directions during this session. When told to notice the thoughts, a few seconds later the talking continued.

Love it. This should be a common practice in this form of technique noting. In ever day life.