Meditation On Sound - The Symphony Around You

We live in a world surrounded by sound. Practicing meditation on the sounds around us, is a great introduction into being present - it can be done anywhere, anytime. It teaches us to become aware of the impermanence of sound with each passing moment.
Often times in meditation we struggle to quiet the mind (chitta), but by concentrating on one of our senses (hearing), we teach our mind to become focused. This practice also allows us to explore the thoughts and emotions that our mind associates with certain sounds, cultivating our ability to step back and become a Witness to our thoughts.

Transcript

Welcome,

Everyone,

To this meditation on sound.

We're surrounded by a symphony of sound every day,

Changing from moment to moment,

So this practice can be done anytime,

Anywhere.

I like to do this meditation in my backyard among the chorus of songbirds,

Or sitting at a beach,

Listening to the ocean,

But I can imagine doing it on a park bench,

In a busy city,

Or walking along a sidewalk.

So wherever you are,

You can do this meditation.

To begin,

Take a comfortable seat,

Perhaps placing your hands in your lap or on your thighs,

And then lower your gaze or close your eyes.

Take a deep breath in,

And exhale,

Let it go,

Your breath to flow naturally in and out.

If you have earbuds in or headphones on,

Go ahead and remove it from one ear,

And then bring your awareness to the sounds around you.

Observe the first sound you become aware of and feel how it pulls your focus toward it.

Is it a soothing sound,

Or perhaps it was a startling one?

Does it evoke an image or a memory?

Can you let that sound go and find another sound,

Letting your mind linger for a moment,

Observing,

Feeling,

Remembering,

Breathing?

Notice sounds that are close to you.

Let your awareness move further away.

What is the farthest sound that you can hear?

And come back again and marvel at the abundance of sound at any given moment.

And now for the next few minutes,

Step back.

Let your attention be immersed in the sounds around you,

Breathing,

And just allowing yourself to listen and receive.

Whenever you're ready,

Begin to bring awareness back into your body and the space around you.

Take a few breaths to observe what you feel as the meditation begins to fade.

And go ahead and open your eyes and lift your gaze.

I hope you've enjoyed these few moments of being present with sound.

Thank you for meditating with me today.

Namaste.