Welcome to a 20-minute mindfulness of sound meditation.
If you are using headphones with noise canceling,
An invitation to place your settings on transparent.
This allows for more availability of sound during the pauses.
There will be a bell at the completion of the meditation.
Now,
Finding a comfortable yet wakeful position.
Sitting or lying.
Allowing the body final movements before coming into stillness.
Perhaps allowing the eyes to close or unfocusing the gaze.
Noticing the breath in the body.
Maybe in the rise and fall of the belly or the chest.
Maybe in the coolness or warmth in the nostrils or the throat.
Placing the attention here,
Wherever you feel the breath the most in the body now.
No need to change.
Just witnessing the body breathing itself and switching from doing into being.
Now,
Moving the attention here,
Placing the attention to the ears.
Perhaps first sensing the ears.
Maybe feeling a coolness or warmth here.
Maybe not much sensation at all.
That's okay.
Just placing your attention on the ears and then moving toward the opening of the ears.
Switching now to receiving sound.
Seeing if it's available to you to receive sounds near and far.
Maybe even within your body.
And if the mind begins to wander or begins to name the sounds that you're hearing,
See if you can receive sounds around you as if listening to music.
No need to separate specific sounds.
Taking sounds in as a soundscape.
Taking in the sounds around you.
I will go silent for a bit to allow for receiving of sounds.
Where is the mind now?
If you notice the mind has wandered,
As minds often do,
Without judgment,
Gently ask the attention to be placed back on the receiving of sound.
Sensing now if the body is gently leaning forward or there's any strain.
Trying to receive sound.
See if you can switch to allowing the sound to come to you.
Noticing here there are sounds that you're particularly attracted to or attending to more than others.
Or maybe there are sounds that create tension or tightness or avoidance in the body.
No need to change,
Just noticing.
As you're receiving sounds,
Noticing the rising of sounds and the passing away.
Sounds that are consistent and those that come and go.
Maybe even noticing the silence in between sounds.
If the mind has wandered,
Maybe noticing what the mind has wandered to and using the gentlest of labels,
Worry,
Worry,
Or planning,
Planning,
Planning to label the thought and then gently bringing it back,
Placing that attention on receiving sounds.
Noticing sounds above you,
In front of you,
Behind you,
Noticing sounds outside of you,
And even noticing sounds within.
Where's the mind now?
Gently checking in with the attention and if it has wandered,
Carefully escorting it back to sounds.
Now noticing the focus on sounds and like a camera lens,
Opening your attention up to the entire body as it's sitting here now.
Maybe noticing different flows or sensing energy,
Just noticing how the body is now.
And when you feel ready,
Moving into your felt sense of your breath in your body,
Maybe it's in the rise and fall of the shoulders,
The coolness or warmth of the top lip,
Or maybe somewhere else,
Just sensing the breath in these last few moments of meditation.
And at the sound of the bell,
Opening your eyes or focusing your gaze,
Taking moments to move in any way that your body is asking for.
