Learning to be happy with Da Hello and welcome to this meditation on sound.
And this is a mindfulness exercise in which we pay attention to sound.
And so it's something we can do anytime,
Anywhere.
You don't need a quiet place to meditate when sound is the object of your attention.
And this can be particularly relaxing and it can help transform our tendency to be frustrated by noise or unexpected sounds.
Enjoy.
So first settle in somewhere comfortable.
Sit in any posture in which you feel at ease.
And bring your attention to your body.
Always with the intention to relax.
Perhaps taking a deep breath.
And giving a little sigh.
Allow your shoulders to come down.
Your face to relax.
Your legs and arms to rest gently.
Observe your breath and allow it to take on a natural rhythm.
And say to yourself,
There's nothing that I need to do right now.
But be aware.
There's no need to control anything.
You're developing patience,
Acceptance,
And learning to direct your attention from one place to another.
So bring your attention to the space all around you.
Imagine your awareness is a transparent sphere.
It extends very far from your body to the most distant sound in all directions.
Feel your attention shift to the left,
Pervading the whole space to the left of your body.
Near and far.
Listen extra carefully to any of the sounds coming from that direction.
Imagine you are very interested in something someone's saying there,
But it's very quiet and so you're listening very,
Very carefully.
And then bringing your attention to the space in front of you.
Listen extra carefully to the sounds from that direction.
Your awareness extends near to far away.
Feel your attention move into the space in front of you.
And just listen carefully.
Even if there are no sounds that you can detect,
You're waiting there patiently with interest.
As if something interesting is about to be said.
And bringing your attention to the right.
Your awareness extends from near to far away,
And you pay careful attention to the sounds to the right of you.
And anytime you notice your mind wandering and your attention goes to the thoughts,
Of course you can still hear the sounds in other places.
But you give them less attention.
You let them come and go.
And similarly,
When thoughts appear,
You consider them inner sounds.
And return your attention to the sounds in that direction in which you're listening right now.
And turning your attention to the space behind you,
Feel your presence and sense of attention move into the space behind you.
Listen very carefully to any sounds in that direction.
And now returning your attention to that sphere of awareness,
Listen to the sounds all around you.
Feel your awareness pervading a great and empty space which sounds appear and disappear from.
You're transparent to these sounds,
And they pass right through you.
Feel yourself relaxing.
You can listen as you follow your breath.
Remember,
You're listening very carefully,
As if something very interesting is about to be said,
As if someone's speaking very quietly.
Just continue listening.
And regard any thoughts as inner sounds.
Choosing to give more attention to those external sounds.
And you can spend as much time as you want doing this.
And patiently,
Calmly listening to the space all around you.
Feeling your awareness,
Spacious and clear,
The sounds passing through you.
Your thoughts but inner sounds,
Of no consequence to you.
Relax.
And whenever you're ready,
Focus on your body.
Move your hands and feet.
Follow your breath.
And open your eyes if you close them.
Perhaps take a deep breath before you get going.
