Welcome to this guided meditation on pratyahara,
A classical technique from the yoga tradition that can help us quiet the mind without needing to focus too much on our thoughts or emotions.
It also has the benefit of being a meditation you can do almost anywhere without needing a perfectly quiet place.
We will use the sense of hearing to help us get centered in this meditation,
So wherever you happen to be is just fine.
Please start in a comfortable seat.
Make sure you can sit up tall but without too much effort.
It's totally fine to sit in a chair or lean back on some support if you like.
Take three deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Allow yourself to be right here in the present moment,
Focusing on your meditation practice.
Now allow your attention to land on the sensation of hearing.
What sounds do you notice around you?
Focus on a sound that's far away.
A car passing by outside,
Perhaps.
A neighbor's feet in another apartment.
Notice that the sound has a beginning,
A middle,
And an end.
The sound is like a wave that enters your body and then leaves again.
Notice how the body receives the sound without needing to label the sound,
Without needing to know what it is.
Sound is simply a vibration.
What kind of vibration is it?
Fast,
Slow,
Sharp,
Soft?
Notice the sensations of the sounds that are far away as they rise and fall.
Try not to focus too much on what the sound is.
Focus instead on how the sound feels in your body.
Again,
We don't need to name the sounds.
It doesn't matter what they are or where they come from.
Simply observing our internal experience of these waves of sound,
Which could be delightful,
Positive,
Negative,
Uncomfortable,
Comfortable.
All of those things are just fine.
Simply notice what they are and that they rise and then fall again.
Now see if you can focus on a sound that is a little bit closer.
Perhaps in the room with you.
A clock ticking.
The buzz of the refrigerator.
A pet walking around or another person somewhere nearby.
Each sound has a beginning,
A middle,
And an end.
Even if the sound is continuous,
Like a clock ticking,
Notice the rise and fall within that sound.
Notice the waves of sensation as your body receives the sound.
How do the sensations feel in your body as the sound rises and falls or continues in waves?
Now we'll adjust our attention to come a little closer.
Notice the sounds that are intimately close.
Listen for your own breath.
The blood rushing in your ears.
Your heartbeat.
The sounds have a beginning,
A middle,
And an end.
Some are long waves and some are short and continuous.
Some change as you are listening to them.
Notice the sensations of the sound.
The vibrations.
The rise and fall.
How is your body receiving these sounds that are very close?
Now come even a little closer,
Even deeper inside.
Can you listen to the rise and fall of your thoughts inside your mind?
Can you observe each thought as a sensation,
A vibration that has a beginning,
A middle,
And an end?
Can you listen for the spaces of quiet in between each thought?
And whether you can or cannot doesn't matter.
Just continuing to observe your thoughts as if they were sounds with a rise and fall.
Your body receiving the vibration.
Now continue to sit with the waves of sound around you and within you.
Your awareness may be pulled far away from your body,
Outside your immediate space,
And then it may be pulled in close once again.
That is the natural spanda,
The pulsation of everything in life,
The rise and fall of attention.
Notice where your attention is,
Which vibration you're observing.
Allow it to rise and fall,
Noticing the sensations of each sound,
Coaxing your attention closer and closer,
Allowing it to extend outside of your body and then gently come back inside again.
Now notice how you feel in your body in general,
The mood and the pace of your thoughts and emotions.
You may like to bring your hands together in front of your heart and gently bow to the rhythm of sounds in the universe that can take you outside of yourself and also bring you gently back inside.
Thank yourself for taking this time to slow down and be with the sounds of your environment.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
