Tara Brach - Meditation: Listening to and Feeling Our Life

Episode Date: September 22, 2016

Meditation: Listening to and Feeling Our Life - Listening to sounds is a powerful way to quiet the thinking mind and connect with the natural openness of awareness. This meditation emphasizes the anchor of listening, and guides us to relax through our bodies and let sounds wash through us. In this receptivity we find a homecoming to full presence and peace.  

The following meditation is led by Tara Brock. To access more of my meditations or join my email list, please visit tarabrock.com. With a listening attention, just be aware of the sounds around you. Listening to sound can be a very powerful template for mindfulness, this receptive, open. See if you can listen not just with your ears but your whole awareness. You might notice the more close-in sound.

in the room, the sounds of these words as they appear and disappear. Perhaps the spaces between sounds, wherever the more distant sounds, noticing how sounds are known spontaneously. It's nothing to do. Noticing the space of awareness that includes even the most distant sounds. Just resting in that receptive openness, letting the sounds wash through. It's with the same receptivity and openness that we can listen to sound. We can experience the changing play of sensations in our bodies. Sense that you could listen to and feel the life of the body.

Discovering the movement of sensations we call the breath, listening to and feeling the breath as it flows in and out. It's a very light, intimate, close in attention, not controlling the presence width. You might rest with the breath of the nostrils, the inflow, outflow there, are for some the chest, rising and falling. It might be the belly as it expands and then settles. You might experience the breath,

through the whole body, expanding and opening, settling even in a cellular way, letting the breath be just as it is, simply listening to and feeling the experience moment to moment. You might notice that the mind's already drifted away from the breath. It's quite natural that it does. Not to judge in any way, but rather just notice the thoughts, common the future, the past, where the mind's been, and just pause for a moment, reopening the attention to the sounds that are actually here instead of the sounds in your mind, reopening to the play of sensations in the body, perhaps relaxing, obvious areas of tension, and gently as you're

ready, landing again with the movement of the breath, listening to and feeling this changing play of sensation, noticing that it's possible to relax with the breath, to rest with the breath, letting this life breath be a kind of home base in the foreground. And yet if some strong experience arises, a different weather system, perhaps excitement or fear, sorrow, anger, or it might be physical sensations that are strong, real intention. tingling or vibrating or heat or cool, something unpleasant. You can let go of the breath as the primary place of attention and include what's calling for attention. Say yes to what arises. And again, listening to in feeling with a quality of open receptivity, what's here?

Let the intention be to bring a gentle presence. to whatever is really calling for attention. If it's very difficult experience, explore offering a real gesture of kindness to it. It could be a touch, words of loving kindness, and if nothing strong is calling your attention, to continue to collect and settle and relax

with the movement of the breath. You can begin fresh in any moment just noticing where your attention is and if the mind's drifted simply pausing and re-arriving in your senses opening the attention to listen to sound

perhaps relaxing and opening to the life of the body you can't relax too often you might just take a moment to soften in the shoulders relax the hands softening there loosening and softening the belly, relaxing the heart. And again, listening to and feeling the whole moment, the life that's here, either gently resting with the movement of the breath

or opening to whatever is calling for attention with a gentle presence, closing with a simple moment of prayer, offering to your own being whatever blessing or wish, resonates in this moment and feeling our collective heart space, holding all beings everywhere, may all beings realize and be guided by the light of loving presence. May all beings be free.