Nothing brings us more into the present than a sensory experience.
Hi,
My name is Lori Wald and for the next 15 minutes you have nothing to do.
Mindfulness is an awareness of your present experience as it is,
Not as you would prefer it to be,
With curiosity and compassion and courage.
And we know that when we have more mindful moments in our day,
Our stress level goes down and curiously we become more productive,
Perhaps the blood pressure goes down a bit and happiness and joy increases,
Or at least we notice it more.
One of the most effective ways to be in these present tense moments is by noticing sensory experience.
So just noticing the sounds around you,
Or smells,
Or sight,
Taste,
And touch,
The feel of something.
All of these focusing on individual sensations bring us into the present moment.
So just to do a little experiment here for a minute or two.
Notice,
Sit in your comfortable yet dignified position.
We're going to do this for a moment and then we'll go into a more traditional guided meditation.
But sit in your comfortable yet dignified position and notice the sounds around you without attaching a story,
As we like to do.
What is that sound?
Is it going to happen again?
Why did it happen?
Oh,
I know what it is.
Oh yes,
I'm so smart I figured it out.
Now just try to notice the sounds,
The sound of my voice,
Sounds of the room or if you're sitting outdoors.
Now switch gears and notice what you see.
If you're sitting with your eyes closed,
Notice the play of light on the inside of your eyelids or the darkness.
And if you have your eyes open,
Just notice what you see in the room around you,
Again without the story.
Let's take a moment to focus on taste.
Is there some taste on the inside of your mouth,
Remnant of lunch or something else?
Subtle,
Very subtle this one.
How about smell?
Is there a hint,
A scent of anything that you can notice?
Maybe not.
And finally the sensation of touch.
Just the feel of your pant leg or a fuzzy blanket or even rubbing your own fingertips.
Completely focus on this sensory experience,
Touch.
Now here's the difficult part,
Get ready for a challenge.
Pick two senses and see if you can notice them both simultaneously.
Sound and touch,
Taste and sight.
Can it be done?
Or is each sensory experience just a singular experience that can only be experienced one sensation at a time?
That focus on the present.
Not multitasking,
Mono-tasking.
Just one sensation at a time.
Just remain in your comfortable yet dignified position.
Eyes open or closed.
You can notice your breath.
The way your belly rises and falls.
Or your chest expands and contracts.
Or that whisper of air that comes in cool and goes out warm.
If you were happy focusing on one of these sensations,
Go ahead and continue to do that.
Our senses bring us into the present.
When we're noticing a sensation,
We have to be mindful.
We have no choice.
You might notice some thoughts glitter across your mind demanding your attention.
It's okay.
We just start again.
Back to the sensation or the breath.
Or is there an emotion or an experience that's demanding your attention?
Just notice.
I feel restless or frustrated.
Or tranquil.
Joyful.
Just notice.
Notice the sounds.
As our emotions arise and fall away.
As our focus arises and falls away.
We're simply coming to our senses.
So that our senses can help us become more mindful.
Even throughout the rest of your day,
The rest of your week.
Take a moment.
Just to notice a sense.
A very grounding thing to do.
Sometimes things that are very helpful can be very simple.
We can effort less.
Just notice.
Come back.
Start again.
So simple.
Have you lost your focus?
What's the simplest way to bring yourself back?
The way that you exert the least effort.
Try less hard.
Notice.
The sounds or your breath.
Try again.
If you're still sitting with me.
You're doing a great job.
Just notice.
Start again.
For the last minute,
Just stop trying.
Try again.
My name is Lori.
