Finding a posture in which you feel awake and relaxed.
This might be sitting with a tall spine.
Or standing comfortably.
Or walking slowly.
Allowing the eyes to close gently if that feels okay and if not or if you're walking.
You might lower the gaze to a point in front of you.
Letting the shoulders go Relaxing the face muscles and the hands.
Softening the chest and the belly slowly bringing your attention now.
To the sounds around you.
Noticing what sounds you hear in this moment.
And if it's quiet.
.
.
Noticing the lack of sound.
Some sounds might be close to you.
Others might be further away in the distance.
Some sounds might even be coming from inside your body.
Letting the sounds come to you,
Not straining yourself to reach the sounds.
And without going into storytelling or intellectualizing.
Naming the sounds you hear with short phrases such as someone talking,
Construction machine,
Bird chirping.
Then letting that sound go after you've named it and beginning to listen again.
To notice what other sounds might be here.
In this way You're practicing anchoring your attention.
On the present moment,
Right here,
Right now.
By using the sounds.
As your anchor,
As what brings you here.
To the present moment.
As you listen in this way,
Your attention might drift away.
You might catch yourself thinking about something.
Planning Worrying This is normal.
Each time you notice that the attention drifted away You can gently bring the attention back to your anchor,
To the sounds.
Asking what are the sounds of this present moment.
Allowing the attention to drift.
Allowing yourself to be distracted.
Then gently beginning again.
Listening to the sounds.
What are the sounds of this moment?
In addition to naming the sounds,
You might also tune in to the qualities of each sound.
Some sounds might be strong or weak.
Long or short.
Some might be pleasant.
Unpleasant or neutral.
Feeling sleepy or restless are very common challenges when anchoring in the present moment.
As best as possible you might allow the sleepiness.
And maybe support yourself in staying awake.
Bye!
Changing your posture slightly or lengthening your spine.
Similarly,
Allowing the restlessness.
Maybe finding a slightly more comfortable posture.
Or taking some deep breaths to relax a little bit.
Some other common challenges are doubting that you're doing the practice right.
Or judging yourself for having lost focus.
Desire might be present,
Wanting to check the time.
Wanting the practice to come to an end.
Or aversion.
Not wanting to practice.
Some type of resistance or pushing away.
You might rest knowing that if any of these challenges are present for you right now,
That's normal.
It's expected.
And as best as possible.
You might let all this be.
And let it all be just part of this practice today.
When you are ready,
You might let the practice go and rest here for a few moments.
Noticing what's present in your body,
Heart and mind.
What was this practice like?
What are your takeaways or learnings,
If any?
