Hi and welcome to this guided meditation.
Today we are going to explore a vipassana practice called noting.
Vipassana practices are often called insight or sometimes even mindfulness practices.
The goal of vipassana practices is to help us see our own experience in different ways,
In ways that are freeing and liberating.
By practicing vipassana techniques such as noting,
We'll gain insight into the inner workings of our own mind.
So let's begin.
Take a comfortable posture,
Such as sitting.
Try to release any tension you may feel in your body.
And keep your spine straight.
Now gently let the mind observe what's going on right now.
You're listening to a guided meditation.
You've taken this period today to meditate,
To learn this technique of vipassana meditation.
There might be different thoughts going on in your head.
Those are all fine.
We're not looking to control or suppress them.
But we're going to try to not take part in them,
Not participate too much.
Now as we move into the practice,
We're not going to suppress anything from awareness.
In vipassana practices,
There is no such thing as a bad object of meditation.
If you're thinking,
Well it's fine,
As long as you're aware.
If you're feeling pain or pleasure,
Well those are fine.
But you've got to be aware of them.
You've got to be mindful.
The clarity of your mindfulness,
Meaning the clarity with which you observe things,
Is the only yardstick by which you should measure the quality of your meditation.
Now let's turn our attention to body sensations.
What sensations can you feel right now?
Sensations can be a lot of things.
They could be pleasant,
Neutral,
Or unpleasant.
These could be itches,
Feelings of pressure,
Of temperature,
Tingling sensations,
Pulsating sensations,
Vibrations.
Now we're not looking for any specific type of sensation,
But we want to recognize what's there.
Sensations are what's naturally unfolding throughout your day,
And they can be an anchor to the present moment.
More specifically,
Let's look at sensations produced by breathing.
What happens when you inhale?
Can you feel your chest and belly expanding,
Rising?
And what happens when you exhale?
Can you feel your chest and belly falling,
Exhaling the air in your lungs?
Can you feel the air coming through your mouth or nostrils?
Let's take a closer look at what's going on in the abdomen.
Feel the abdomen rising as you inhale,
And feel the abdomen falling as you exhale.
If you can't feel it clearly,
Just place your hand over your abdomen until you get a good feel for it.
Keeping your attention on the abdomen,
As you breathe in,
You can feel the abdomen rising.
You will mentally note this as rising.
Now you don't need to say it out loud.
Simply say the word rising in your head.
And breathing out,
You can feel the abdomen falling,
And you're going to mentally note this as falling.
These labels,
Rising and falling,
Are useful for a couple of reasons.
First,
They help us to recognize what's going on.
As we observe our sensations,
The task of giving them a label can help us see them more clearly.
Second,
Labeling helps us avoid getting caught up in what we perceive.
Labeling sensation gives us a broader,
More objective perspective on what's going on.
And finally,
Noting or labeling acts as a reminder to continue meditating,
Just like reciting a mantra or counting the breaths.
So as you breathe in,
Feel the abdomen rising,
And mentally note rising.
As you exhale,
Feel the abdomen falling,
And mentally note this as falling.
Now do this with a natural,
Normal breath.
There is no need to breathe faster or slower than usual.
Simply watch the flow of natural breathing.
As you inhale,
Note rising.
As you exhale,
Note falling.
As you exhale,
Note rising.
As you exhale,
Note falling.
As you exhale,
Note falling.
As you exhale,
Note falling.
Feel the natural flow of breathing at the abdomen.
Mentally noting rising as the breath comes in.
Mentally noting falling as the breath goes out.
Let's now broaden our perspective,
Feeling all the sensations throughout the body.
Still mentally noting rising as we inhale,
And still mentally noting falling as we exhale.
Recall where you are.
Mindful of how you are sitting,
Knowing that you are listening to a guided meditation.
This was the basic practice of noting.
As we keep practicing this technique,
We are going to add some new building blocks.
This practice of noting can take us very far.
Eventually,
We are going to be able to note many different things other than the rising and falling of the abdomen.
Until then,
Happy practicing!
