In this exercise,
We'll use the experience of sound as an anchor for the here and the now.
We'll spend a few moments with the breath,
Where we're comfortable,
And then we'll shift to our new territory of sound.
The task at hand is simply to notice the soundscape of the present moment.
It's not necessary to seek sounds out or to identify them.
You can allow the sounds of the moment to simply come to you.
To help you with this,
You can sit back in your chair if you normally practice with a straight back,
Allow the shoulders to fall back to open the chest as a postural reminder of this receptive attitude.
If you're used to practicing in a reclined position,
Open your arms wide if that's comfortable for you.
Ok.
To begin,
Get a sense for your position,
Feel into your chest,
Allow your eyes to close or soften your gaze.
Notice what is there for you in this moment,
In your experience,
And let yourself be just as you are.
If it's helpful for you,
Take a few breaths here that are a little deeper than normal.
Breathe in all the way to the bottom of your belly and exhale completely.
Let all the air out of your lungs.
Breathe in,
Breathe out and notice where you feel the breath in the body.
Then gently let go of control over the breath and allow the body to breathe on its own.
Trust your body to find the rhythm with the breath.
As best you can,
Follow the rhythm of the breath where you feel it most,
Possibly in the chest,
The belly or by the nose or mouth.
Notice each breath and sense how it rises on the inhale and falls away on the exhale.
Observe your breath,
Then,
When you feel ready,
Open your awareness to include the breath in the whole body.
Feel your whole body breathing.
You might become aware of thoughts or emotions that are present in this moment and that's ok.
Each time your mind wanders away from the breath,
Simply notice it and,
Without being too hard on yourself,
Bring your attention back to the breath.
Observe this single breath right here and now,
As best you can,
Change the focus of your practice from the breath to notice the sounds around you.
Open your attention to the soundscape around you,
To the sensation of sound.
Sound is only in this moment,
It cannot be in the past or the future.
What can you hear in this moment?
There's no need to identify or investigate these sounds.
Just notice the quality of the sound.
Observe the sounds of each moment.
Notice where your mind is in this moment.
Is it in the future,
Planning away or ruminating on the past?
Notice where your attention goes in the quiet spells and then gently,
With love and tenderness for yourself,
Bring your attention back to the sounds that are all around you.
Be receptive,
The sounds will come to you.
Imagine placing your attention right at the opening of your ears and let the sounds arrive there.
Each time your mind wanders,
Gently bring your attention back to this moment,
To the sounds of this moment,
The sounds around you or the sounds of this moment.
Notice them.
It's possible that you experience an almost automatic liking or disliking of some sounds and that's okay.
Just notice this.
Everything is just the sound of the moment,
They're just waves travelling through the air.
At first,
There is only the sound itself and then there is the feeling that follows.
Let these be as they are.
You may notice some sounds are quite close to you,
Others are off in the distance,
Perhaps very far away and maybe you notice there are sounds inside your own body.
Use this soundscape as an anchor to this moment of your life,
Here and now.
What are the sounds of this moment?
And then,
Whenever you're ready,
Move your attention away from the sounds and back to the breath,
The breathing in and the breathing out.
Return to your body,
Rest in the observation of your breathing and your own good company each time the mind wanders away.
Come back to the breath,
This breath right here.
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
Right here in this moment.
In a moment,
We'll begin to return to our day.
Trust yourself,
Feel into your body,
Sense where you feel the need to move first and then move from there.
Take your time and while you return to your day,
Perhaps you can keep some sense of this practice with you.
Our exercise has reached its end now.
