Meditation On The Sounds In Your Room

This sound-based meditation is designed for those who’ve experienced trauma and find that tuning into the body creates anxiety that makes them feel less present. This meditation is taught during my courses on writing about trauma. It’s a part of the P.A.C.E. method I teach to help writers work sustainably on emotionally challenging projects. However, it is not considered treatment or a substitute for work with a qualified mental health professional.

Transcript

This is a meditation that focuses on the sounds around you as a way to ground you in the present moment and prepare you for the writing you plan to do today. This meditation can be done in a room with a closed door, A room with a window open, Or you can do it outside. But it's best to have some sort of sound around you that you can focus on as we do this meditation. We're going to begin by developing a comfortable seat. For many people that is feet on the floor, Hands can be face up or face down in your lap. You can lean forward in your chair or back. Eyes can be closed or you can develop a soft gaze towards whatever is in front of you. Knowing that a soft gaze can be a good way to start if you're new to meditation. Once you've developed that comfortable seat, I want you to go ahead and inhale through your nose for a count of four and exhale for a count of four. Take a short pause and then inhale for a count of five. Exhaling for a count of five and pausing and inhaling for a count of six. Exhaling for a count of six. Just slowing down the breath to slow down the body and the mind and the nervous system as we prepare for this meditation. I'd like you to begin by focusing on the sounds that seem very far away. Perhaps that is the mild rumble of traffic in the distance, Children playing in a yard, Birds on a tree far away. Just begin to focus all of your attention on the sounds that are far away. If your mind wanders, Just think the word wandering and return to your sounds. Now I'd like you to shift your attention to the sounds in the middle distance. If you were to have a window open, Perhaps these are the sounds directly outside your window or perhaps the sounds at the very edge of your room. Maybe the sound of a furnace going on or a fan blowing. Just notice those sounds in the middle distance. Now I'd like you to go ahead and shift your attention to the sounds that are close to your body or perhaps happening inside your body. Maybe you're sitting near a computer and you hear the hush of the computer as it is running. Perhaps you hear gurgling in your belly or the sound of your heart. Just noticing the sounds, Not building any story around them, Just noticing what is and paying attention to how what is allows you to be present. Now we'll end this meditation with the sound of a bell. Now that you've had a chance to focus on the sounds around you, We're going to go ahead and take a couple of deep breaths to end this meditation. Just inhaling again through the nose, Exhaling through the mouth, Inhaling again through the nose, Exhaling through the mouth. Knowing that the awareness and sense of attention that you brought to this meditation today can fuel your writing as you begin your writing time. We will end this meditation with a sound of a bell. Shanti Namaste friends. May you enjoy your writing time.