You build physical strength by exercising your body.
In a similar way,
You build mindfulness strength by exercising your attention.
Many mindfulness techniques,
Although not all of them,
Use the same basic process to strengthen your attention.
That process is called noting.
Noting has two parts.
You clearly acknowledge a sensory experience.
Then you pour all your attention into that sensory experience for a few seconds.
And that's it.
Noting is quite simple.
You acknowledge a sensory experience,
Then focus on it.
Seeing how many techniques are all just different versions of noting will simplify things for you.
Lengthen your spine and relax your shoulders and arms.
Bring your attention to what you're hearing.
Maybe you're hearing the heating system,
A fan,
Or people talking.
Maybe you just hear silence.
If you hear sounds,
Great.
If you hear silence,
Great.
Just notice whatever you're hearing.
Every few seconds,
Intentionally acknowledge whether you're experiencing sound or silence.
And then intently but gently focus on that sound or silence.
Make an attempt to clearly acknowledge,
Then intently focus on sound or silence,
Whichever is happening for you.
This is what it means to note sound and silence.
There are two helpful metaphors for noting.
One is more active,
The other is more passive.
Feel free to use either of them.
In the active metaphor,
Acknowledging is like aiming your attention.
And then intent focusing is like pitching it towards the sensory experience.
In the passive metaphor,
You can think of the acknowledging as a friend greeting you.
And then the focusing as being hugged by that friend.
In either case,
You get clearer about what you're focusing on.
And then you spend a few seconds getting to know it.
If a sound disappears or a silence is interrupted before you have time to focus on it,
Just acknowledge and focus on whatever comes next.
Maybe you hear another sound or maybe you hear silence.
If you're hearing more than one sound,
You can pick just one to listen to,
Listen to all of them at once,
Or let your attention be naturally pulled from sound to sound.
If there aren't any sounds,
Just focus on silence and enjoy that.
If there's a constant sound in your environment,
Such as a fan or heating system,
Feel free to note that sound over and over again.
Each time you note the sound,
Each time you clearly acknowledge and then intently focus on the sound.
Try to detect more detail in what you're hearing.
How loud is the sound?
What direction is it coming from?
And so forth.
You may be able to enjoy a calming effect from focusing on sound or silence.
Silence is by nature calming,
But sound can also be calming even if it's unpleasant.
As the sound gets louder,
Mental talk may get quieter,
Creating a restful state.
This can provide a pleasant break from stressful thoughts and emotions.
If your attention wanders to other experiences like thoughts or body sensations,
That's okay.
You don't need to stop the thoughts or try to get rid of body sensation.
Just let distractions come and go in the background and keep noting sound or silence.
If a sound lasts long enough for you to focus on it,
Try to notice details.
Notice what direction the sound is coming from.
Notice if the sound remains the same or changes.
If you're noting silence,
Appreciate it as a pleasant and restful experience.
Every few seconds,
Whether you're hearing sound or silence,
Acknowledge,
Then focus on that experience.
If a sound disappears or silence is interrupted before you have time to focus on it,
Just note whatever comes next.
You're noting sound and silence.
You're not noticing anything.
You're not noticing anything.
May this practice be expressed in your thoughts,
Speech,
And action.
