Welcome.
Today we will be practicing a meditation called sound awareness.
In this simple exercise,
You'll be hearing a bell.
And as you hear the sound of the bell,
You'll raise your hand.
And when the sound of the bell disappears,
You will lower your hand.
This is a practice in awareness of sounds.
Throughout this practice,
You may notice other sounds,
Maybe nearby,
Maybe distant.
You're choosing to focus just on one sound on the sound of the bell.
This meditation is also a practice of noticing a neutral sound.
So many of the sounds in our environment we label as good or bad,
As positive or negative,
As exciting or scary.
Maybe the sound of the coffee grinder in the morning is exciting to you.
Maybe it's relaxing.
Maybe the sound of a child screaming is stressful.
Maybe the sound of a bird is really pleasant for you when you're on a nature walk.
Or maybe it's really aggravating or irritating when you're wanting to focus on reading a book.
No matter what the sound is,
It's a sensory input.
We go throughout our day labeling positive,
Negative,
Most of the time without even noticing our reaction.
So this is an opportunity to listen to the bell,
To acknowledge when you hear the sound,
Raising the hand,
Acknowledge when you don't hear the sound,
Lowering the hand,
And noticing.
Maybe you like the sound,
Maybe you dislike it.
But the focus is this is a neutral sound.
It's neither good or bad.
Just is a sound in your sensory experience.
So now we will begin.
I suggest closing your eyes if you feel comfortable,
And sitting with your spine tall,
Your posture upright,
So you can be alert and relaxed.
You may also lie down in a comfortable position if that is better for your body in this moment.
Doing your best to stay awake and alert so you notice the sound.
I will let you know when it's the last bell,
As we will close the exercise with the bell alone.
And now we begin.
The bell is invited.
The bell is invited.
Taking the opportunity between the rings of the bell to notice what else is in your soundscape,
Or what else is going across your mind,
Noticing if you're labeling it as positive or negative.
Maybe noticing what the quality of the silence sounds like when we're in between bell rings.
We'll do a couple more now.
The bell is invited.
The bell is invited.
The bell is invited.
The bell is invited.
The bell is invited.
And now we will close this exercise with one last bell for the day.
And now we begin.
Noticing what sensations or thoughts are traveling through your body as this bell now has a meaning to it.
It's now the closing bell.
Sending you off to your next activity for this moment.
