Meditation: Mindfulness Of Sound

Tune into the landscape of sounds in your immediate environment with the care and attentiveness one gives to a symphony performance. Whether you are in nature, or in the middle of the city, this meditation cultivates present-moment awareness with a rich source of our sensory experience—one that we often take for granted.

Transcript

Taking a moment to gather the attention on the structure of your sitting posture in this moment. So allowing yourself to find a comfortable and upright position, Seated in a chair, Cushion, Maybe a bed, Allowing the spine to find some length, And allowing the front of the body to be nice and soft. And same with the face and the head and the neck, Allowing these also to soften just a little bit. So maybe the forehead finds some smoothness, Maybe the jaw unlocks a bit, Unhinges, And maybe even imagining the hint of a smile in the corners of the mouth, Maybe inside of the mouth, And maybe even the corners of the eyes. Starting this meditation by bringing some awareness into and with the breath. So finding a place in the body where the breath can be experienced most vividly in this moment. So maybe below the nostrils, Tracking the sensation of breath in and out of the nose. Maybe it's the chest, And tracking rising and falling. And maybe tracking the same sensations in the abdomen. Simply noticing the breath wherever it is without judgment and with a sense of kindness and appreciation for the gift of breathing, Not requiring any effort on our part, Sustaining us in each moment, Giving us life. Finding the rhythm and the quality of the breath just as it is. And now, As best as you can, Shifting the anchor for your awareness from the breath to the experience of sound all around your physical body, Directing attention to this sonic landscape surrounding you. And so aware, Of course, Of the sound of a voice, But also perhaps becoming aware of other sounds in the immediate vicinity. So perhaps there are other sounds within the room or area in which you currently sit. A fan, Pipes, Footsteps. Maybe noticing if there's any experience of sound from outside of the room or area you're in. People, Birds, Cars. Maybe even noticing if there's any sound coming from the physical body. Just observing the sounds of each moment and perhaps also starting to observe any gaps or silences in between sounds. Understanding that this experience moment to moment of micro-moments is constantly changing. There's no need to try to figure out or think about the sounds. Just letting them be passively received and experienced through the ears in this body. Going into receptivity. Perhaps imagining placing the attention right at the opening of the ears and just letting the sounds come to you. And perhaps giving this experience of receiving sound some of the feel of sitting back and listening to a symphony, Calling on a similar sense of curiosity, Of interest in this unexpected, Never to be duplicated orchestra of sound, Natural sound. Maybe noticing where the attention is in this moment. It's possible it's returned to a memory of the past or maybe planning about the future. Totally okay. Simply noticing in this moment of mindfulness and gently inviting the awareness back to this experience of sound. Observing these moment to moment shifts, Layering of sound. And as you track these sounds, Maybe also noticing if there's any sense of liking some sounds more than other sounds. So if there's a sound of a car or a broken pipe in the background that's triggering some thoughts or contraction, Just notice that. And likewise, If there's sounds of birdsong that are really pleasant, Notice the liking. And also notice that sounds are simply sounds. That the sounds that the world provides are equal in an essential way. And that is actually our minds perceiving and layering judgment, Positive or negative, Onto the sound. So simply noticing that that can be disentangled and inviting an experience of the raw sensation of sound. Letting each sound be just as it is without interpretation or judgment. What is being heard in this moment? And just taking these last few moments to sustain curiosity and interest in this soundscape. And then slowly letting the attention on sounds drop away for now. And coming back to rest in the physical sensations of sitting in this posture. So perhaps noticing the sense of weight and gravity and the areas of connection between the body and the earth beneath of us. So the ground, The chair. And then slowly and in our own time, Maybe allowing the eyes to open, Allowing light to be received through open eyes. And becoming aware and scanning our physical surroundings and the space in which we're sitting. And then slowly and in our own time, Maybe allowing light to be received through open eyes. And then slowly and in our own time, Maybe allowing light to be received through open eyes.