Hello and welcome.
My name is Alex Fisher and I'm so grateful that you're here today.
In today's meditation we're going to practice listening for the sole purpose of hearing,
No response necessary.
So often we find ourselves in the loudness of the world.
Loud company meetings,
Loud social media exchanges,
Loud news channels,
Loud family conversations.
Sometimes loud can feel overwhelming,
Anger inducing or frustrating.
And when met with these types of loud,
Our systems kick into high gear almost automatically.
Often this response is linked to past trauma,
Unmet needs or open wounds that haven't fully healed.
It's when we meet these places within us with our curiosity and an openness to fully listen to what's coming up for us and act from a space of hearing rather than a space of responding or reacting that we can turn that loudness into peace.
For this practice we will drop into our center,
Practice observing and begin listening to what's happening inside.
We'll end with a series of incantations to simply listen to rather than repeat back,
Allowing their meaning to rest within you.
We'll start by finding a comfortable position that feels cozy for your body,
Either lying down or seated in a chair or on the floor.
And just settle in here with eyes closed or in a soft downward gaze,
Making any adjustments that your body feels called to make.
Begin by taking three deep cycles of breath.
Inhale,
Full body breath deep into your belly and chest and slowly release,
Exhaling through the mouth making an audible sigh.
Do this two more times,
Deep breath in,
Expanding fully and a full breath sighing out.
Last one,
Breathe in,
Expand fully and slowly breathe out.
Find your natural breathing rhythm here and we'll slowly scan the body from the top of your head,
Down through the face muscles,
Back of the neck and down through the back body,
Across the shoulders,
Down through the arms and back over the chest,
Down the front body,
Through the legs and all the way down to the tips of your toes.
Continue breathing into any spaces of the body that feel tight or tense and see if you can let go a little bit more there.
No need to judge why the tightness is present,
Just breathe.
And now as you continue to breathe here,
Begin to notice any noises or sensations around you.
Perhaps you're near a window and birds are chirping or rain is hitting the roof.
Maybe a fan is moving the air across your skin or you smell the soft scent of a candle flickering next to you.
Simply notice each sensation as it comes to you and allow it to be present with you as you continue to breathe in and out.
Be here with these sensations for a moment,
Simply noticing them as they come to you with no response or judgment,
Just listening through your senses.
Continue to be open to any sensations that you meet as you breathe here and begin to turn your listening inward.
What new sensations do you notice here?
Is your stomach rumbling because you're hungry?
Maybe you're replaying an argument in your head and it's causing your brow to furrow.
Perhaps you hear your intuition calmly guiding you toward a decision you've been mulling over.
Whatever the sensations,
Simply notice them without judgment and then gently bring your awareness back to your breath.
The act of deep listening both internally and externally is a practice in patience,
Compassion,
Awareness and empathy for oneself and others.
I'd like to now offer some phrases to keep with you as you continue to bring your awareness to the art of listening to hear rather than respond or react.
Consider these as a sort of incantation for your everyday.
I intuitively know what my body needs.
I intuitively know what my body needs.
I don't have to prove my worth in any way.
My restful and silent presence is enough.
I don't have to prove my worth in any way.
My restful and silent presence is enough.
I enjoy spending present and intentional time with those I love.
I enjoy spending present and intentional time with those I love.
I listen to hear rather than react so that I can take aligned action.
I listen to hear rather than react so that I can take aligned action.
I intuitively know how to set boundaries for myself.
I intuitively know how to set boundaries for myself.
I am allowed to pause and breathe before I say or do anything.
I am allowed to pause and breathe before I say or do anything.
When my body speaks to me,
I listen.
When my body speaks to me,
I listen.
Sit with these phrases and breathe into them for a few moments.
At the bottom of your next exhale,
Slowly return to your body's natural breath cycle and connect back with the rest of your body,
Remembering your presence and reintroducing some small movements.
I hope you enjoyed this practice with me today.
I'm grateful you're here.
I like to end my sessions with the practice of gratitude,
Love and acknowledgement of this strange life journey we all find ourselves on by closing with the phrase,
Thank you.
I love you.
Keep going.
Until next time.
