Hello,
Welcome.
This is a fullness of sound practice.
What that means is we will practice listening.
Not just to sounds that we like or that are pleasant.
But seeing if we can allow the fullness,
This symphony that is life.
To be here to listen to all that arises.
I live recorded the birds in my garden.
It was at 6.
30am just before I hosted a live practice here on insight timer.
They were so playful and I took out my microphone and recorded.
So we will listen to three minutes of the birds.
But you might also hear some other man-made sounds.
I live in Melbourne in Australia,
Not too far from the city.
There might be some cars,
Perhaps a tram in the distance.
You might hear some other sounds,
Not just the birds.
And the invitation will be to welcome,
To allow all of the sounds to be in the practice.
No need to label or judge as good or bad,
Pleasant or unwanted.
Seeing if you can be open,
Allowing your ears to receive all of the sounds,
All of the sounds of my garden.
And as we get ready to begin,
You might choose a shape that feels most steady and supportive for you today.
Perhaps finding a little bit of movement that might be a roll of your head from side to side.
A wave through your spine.
You might even like to roll through your wrists,
Allowing your fingers to stretch out long and then naturally curl back in.
Let's take one conscious breath together.
When you feel ready,
A breath in.
And when you feel ready,
A breath out.
Listening now,
Listening with your whole self to the next three minutes.
Welcome to my garden.
Finding another conscious breath in.
And a natural breath out.
Arriving into your space.
Feeling,
Sensing your body in the room,
The space,
The environment you're in.
The possibility of taking a look around,
Orienting yourself.
Reminding you that you are here.
Noticing all of the space around you,
Above you,
Perhaps even the space that is within you.
How was that practice?
Was it easy or less easy to allow all of the sounds to be present?
How many different bird types did you hear?
How was it to me the symphony of life as it is?
This practice of being with the fullness of all of the sounds we are being invited to notice.
Thank you so much for joining me in this short mindfulness of sounds practice.
As you move into the rest of your day,
Your week,
You might see what it's like to allow,
To welcome,
To bring a sense of neutrality to all of the sounds.
All of the sounds in nature.
All of the sounds we are being invited to hear,
To receive,
To absorb.
You might like to take a little bit of movement.
Perhaps a shrug of your shoulders.
A little sway through your spine.
Feeling whatever parts of your body are in relationship to something beneath you.
Feeling into that sense of support and steadiness.
Let that carry you through the rest of your day.
As always,
Thank you so much for practicing together.
It was such a joy to share this bird song from my garden.
Wishing you a beautiful day ahead.
