Explore External Sensory Experience
Exploring the things we see, hear, and feel. In this one we methodically explore the different sensory modalities, working with them one-by-one, and becoming familiar with concentration, clarity, and equanimity.
From Issue #1
Guided meditation for students of the mindfulness training at the Nelson Buddhist Centre in early 2022.
Transcript
As we begin to learn to practice mindfulness, we're really learning
Speaker:to appreciate the things that are around us by being more aware of them.
Speaker:And we can practice that today by just giving ourselves an opportunity
Speaker:to explore what's happening in our external sensory experience.
Speaker:So.
Speaker:Assume a posture that is right for you.
Speaker:And you can start with your eyes closed.
Speaker:If you choose to practice in a seated posture, go ahead and lengthen your spine
Speaker:and you could relax your shoulders and your arms and going through a motion
Speaker:like this just gives our body the signal that we're about to start practicing.
Speaker:Bring your attention to what it is you are hearing
Speaker:and specifically what it is you're hearing with your ears in the outside world.
Speaker:So you may be hearing traffic or.
Speaker:Birds.
Speaker:You may hear the sound of your own breath, or you might not
Speaker:hear much of anything at all.
Speaker:If you hear some kind of sound.
Speaker:That's great.
Speaker:And if you do not hear sound, that's also great.
Speaker:Just notice.
Speaker:Whatever it is, you are hearing.
Speaker:If you're hearing more than one sound, you can just pick one to listen to, or
Speaker:you can listen to all the sounds at once.
Speaker:Or you might just let your attention be naturally pulled from sound to sound,
Speaker:play around with these different options.
Speaker:See what you gravitate to most.
Speaker:If you find your attention starts to wander to other experiences like thoughts
Speaker:or physical sensations that's okay.
Speaker:You don't have to stop thoughts.
Speaker:We just wanna let them come and go in the background and direct
Speaker:the focus of your attention back to what it is you are hearing
Speaker:by focusing your attention on external sounds.
Speaker:It can sometimes offer a nice break from other sensory experiences, like
Speaker:an active mind or pain of some sort.
Speaker:You're not blocking out these other experiences.
Speaker:You're not suppressing them.
Speaker:You're just letting them come and go while intentionally directing your awareness
Speaker:towards what it is you are hearing.
Speaker:And as you let these other experiences be in the background of your awareness,
Speaker:you get to appreciate the power of sound and the absence of sound.
Speaker:Now,
Speaker:let go of that and bring your attention to your body.
Speaker:Specifically, let's pay attention to the physical body
Speaker:as opposed to the emotional body.
Speaker:This might include sensations like your feet on the floor.
Speaker:Or the sensation associated with breathing
Speaker:your hands in your lap.
Speaker:Sometimes you can find it relaxing to take a couple of deep breaths and
Speaker:focus on the sensation of the exhale.
Speaker:Nice work.
Speaker:Now, let go of that.
Speaker:And if your eyes are closed slowly, open them and bring your attention
Speaker:to what it is you are seeing.
Speaker:You might choose to focus on a single object in front of
Speaker:you like a wall or a plant.
Speaker:Something out the window, or you can take in the whole visual field at once,
Speaker:or you might let your attention be naturally pulled from object to object.
Speaker:And if you move between objects, just let the pacing of that.
Speaker:Be nice and easy.
Speaker:Just pay attention to what it is you were seeing with
Speaker:your eyes.
Speaker:If your attention wanders to thoughts or sounds just let those distractions
Speaker:come and go in the background and gently return your attention back to
Speaker:what it is.
Speaker:You are seeing this practice of.
Speaker:Focusing on something and realizing we are not focused on the thing is
Speaker:sort of like a concentration exercise.
Speaker:You are working the muscle by returning to the things you intend to focus on when you
Speaker:notice that you're not focused on them.
Speaker:Focusing on things that you're seeing can offer a nice break from other sensations.
Speaker:So for example, if you were feeling pain of some sort, you might try letting
Speaker:the pain come and go in the background.
Speaker:As you direct your awareness towards what it is you are seeing.
Speaker:So as we come to the end of this meditation, just take a quick moment
Speaker:to check in and see how it is you feel.
Speaker:And in this case, we'll actually look at the inner side of feel
Speaker:for that kind of emotional flavor.
Speaker:Of feeling,
Speaker:how would you describe that?
Speaker:If you notice energy or a sense of tranquility, maybe something feels
Speaker:more balanced, allow that feeling to follow you into the rest of your day.
Speaker:And if you notice any type of impatience discomfort, uncertainty,
Speaker:self-judgment just try and greet that with a little bit of acceptance.
Speaker:The more we practice, the more these skills develop and the easier it becomes.
Speaker:By practicing with our awareness in this way.
Speaker:We start to appreciate the things around us with a little bit more intention,
Speaker:and some might consider that to be living a little bit more presently.
Speaker:So try that throughout the day, the week, whenever you get a moment and.
Speaker:See what develops for you?
Speaker:I hope to do this again with you sometime soon.
