Welcome to this meditation practice using the sensations of hearing as an anchor for your attention,
Beginning by finding a posture that feels supportive for the body in this moment.
In mindfulness practice,
We often use posture as a tool to signify change and to bring our awareness into the present moment.
So taking a posture that communicates a sense of dignity and being present and coming to stillness if that's available.
Becoming aware of the body being supported by the surface holding you up.
You might be noticing points of contact between the feet or heels and the floor,
The sitting bones or back body making contact,
Or the sensations of the arms and hands making contact where they are resting.
Inviting your attention to be aware of any sensations in the body making themselves known to you,
Either on the surface of the skin or deeper inside the body.
And as we bring attention to the body,
The invitation now is to invite the attention to rise towards the ears and to attend to the sensations of hearing as an anchor for your attention.
You might be noticing sounds in your space,
Sounds further away.
You might even be noticing sounds from inside your own body,
Just taking the next minute or so on your own to notice sounds as they come and go.
We often tell stories about sounds.
Oh,
There's traffic,
Or the sound of birds,
Or the sounds of people or pets.
As best you can,
Try to observe the direct qualities of the sounds you are listening to.
For example,
Volume,
Loud or soft.
Pitch,
Whether high or low.
The length of sound,
Whether it's short or long.
Whether the sound is continuous or whether there's a rhythm present.
As best you can,
Noticing the direct qualities of the sounds you are hearing,
Rather than the stories or descriptions about sounds.
And while hearing is the primary focus of our attention here,
Our full field of awareness also includes thoughts,
Emotions and physical sensations.
And sooner or later,
You will wake up to noticing your attention being pulled away from hearing to one of these.
And this is normal.
It's okay.
It's just what minds do.
And so when this happens,
As it surely will,
Gently guiding your attention back to the primary focus on hearing,
Using the sensations of sound as an anchor for your attention.
At times when we bring our attention to the sensations of hearing,
We might notice wanting to seek out pleasant sounds or avoid unpleasant sounds.
Being really interested in your own experience,
Seeing if it's possible to be curious about the sensations of hearing,
Whether pleasant,
Unpleasant or neutral.
You might be noticing layers of sound or even moments of silence between sounds.
Inevitably,
You will notice the mind moving or drifting away to thinking or body sensations.
And as best you can,
Seeing the repeated movements of the mind away from sound as opportunities to bring patience,
Kindness,
And a gentle curiosity to your own experience.
Each time you return your attention to the sensations of hearing is a chance to start over and to begin again.
And in a moment,
We will bring this meditation practice to an end.
So the invitation now is to open the eyes,
Widen the gaze if the eyes are already open,
To take a moment to look around your own space,
And to stretch and move and take care of yourself in any way that makes sense to you in this moment as we bring this awareness of hearing practice to a close.
