The Magic of Mindfulness and Meditation
Leaning into Sound
From distractions to Mindfulness Bells
by Allison Korycki
I’ve been working on being a better listener. Working on not interrupting friends mid-conversation. On waiting for my turn to speak rather than interjecting with the first thought that pops into my head. On patiently waiting for my 6 year old to finish his stories that seem to ramble on forever, and not rush him to get to the point. On truly hearing what my partner has to say rather than letting one word send me off on a thought train.
It takes practice to give your full attention to someone or something, especially today when our phones are constantly bombarding us with notifications, pulling our attention away from the task at hand.
One practice that has been supporting me in this journey is a mindfulness technique called Leaning Into Sound. This method uses the sounds we hear around us as anchors to notice what is happening now. My favorite thing about this meditation is that you don’t need to be sequestered away in a silent room. Instead, this practice requires sound and so it can be practiced anywhere at anytime: at your desk in the middle of the workday, in the woods on a morning hike, at home while you’re waiting for the water to boil on the stove, or while you’re waiting in line at the grocery store.
Here’s how it works
•First, notice the sounds that your own body makes. The subtle sound of your breath as it falls into and out of your body. The sound of your throat as you swallow saliva. When you notice yourself thinking, name it thinking then come back to listening.
•Then, expand your awareness to the sounds you hear around you in the room. The hum of the electricity. The rumble of the HVAC. The conversations of those around you. Listen with full intention and attention of mind, as if you were listening to a record.
•Now, extend your awareness to the sounds you hear outside. The sounds of the cars driving past, the city songbirds chirping in the trees, the faint conversations as pedestrians pass by, the sound of the airplane overhead in the distance.
•Finally, bring your awareness back inside the room, to the sounds around you here. And then back to your own body’s sounds.
In this way, we start to transform the sounds we hear from distractions into mindfulness bells, or reminders of what is happening here and now, in this moment. This frees our mind from planning what’s next or remembering what was. Instead, we are living consciously in the present moment. This is what meditation is all about: being here now. It’s less about finding inner calm—although this is definitely a side effect of the practice—and more about the process of focusing the mind and training yourself in the art of sustained concentration.
There are so many ways to meditate: seated in stillness, chanting mantras, wildly shaking, mindfully walking, and actively listening. To practice these different methods and see which style resonates with you.