Welcome to the mindfulness of sounds practice.
So beginning by sitting in a comfortable position that allows you to be relaxed and alert,
Awake.
And if it's comfortable for you sitting upright with both feet on the floor,
Allowing your body to be supported by the chair and the floor beneath you.
For this practice palms can be loose and gently placed on your thighs or in your lap or anywhere else that's comfortable for you.
There's no right or wrong way to sit.
There's no right or wrong way to do this practice.
Feeling free to close your eyes or keep them open and if you keep your eyes open,
Perhaps finding a spot about three feet ahead of you to just rest a gentle gaze.
And beginning now by taking a few deep slow breaths.
Coming into the present moment.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Settling here and now.
And when you're ready now,
Gathering your attention and bringing your awareness to notice the sounds around you.
Continuing to breathe as you open up the ears to sound.
Perhaps noticing sounds inside the room,
Outside of the room.
You may even notice sounds generated by the body.
Breath,
Swallowing,
Sense of pulsation.
Without striving to hear or not hear particular sounds,
There's no need to analyze sound.
Seeing if you can just notice the quality of sound as it meets your ears.
Noting the volume,
The pitch,
Duration,
Timbre.
If it feels possible,
Opening up the eardrums,
The tiny hairs within the ears,
Maybe even the heart to sounds in this moment.
This is a practice of opening yourself up to the here and now with mindfulness of sounds.
And now releasing awareness from sounds and bringing your awareness to notice the sounds.
Bringing your awareness to notice the sensations of the feet on the floor and the body against the chair or mat.
Coming back home into your body.
And then whenever you're ready now,
Taking all the time you need to open your eyes if they're closed and reorient to the space around you.
