guided practice

10min River of Sound Meditation

Mindfulness Practice: 10 Minute River of Sound

  1. Begin by getting into position, whatever position works best for your body. This position will become your body-mind’s signal that you are starting a practice. I suggest the following as it uses little muscular energy to stay upright and alert, and allows you to breathe easily :
    1. Sit on a chair (sofa, bed, etc) with your feet flat on the floor.
    2. Rest your hands where ever they are comfortable (neither propping yourself up or pulling yourself forward with your hands).
    3. Feel your sit bones pressing down.
    4. Float the crown of your head up so that it softly lifts your torso.
    5. Tuck your chin in a tiny bit so that the back of your neck is long, making sure it’s also soft.
    6. Soften your jaw.
  2. Close your eyes. Or keep them open, and look down at the floor (or whatever is in front of you) a few feet or meter or so in front of you, keeping your eyes relaxed.
  3. Bring your attention to your breath. Notice how it feels to breathe. (Note that if you always start your meditation practices by focusing on your breath this is also a great way to signal to your body-mind that you’re beginning a practice. Also, at other points during your day, you can focus on 1 or 2 breaths and drop into a calmer, more meditative state.)
  4. Gently shift your attention to what you can hear.
  5. Imagine that you are a rock in the middle of a river. A river of sound.
  6. Notice the whole river of sound as it floats by. Don’t focus on a particular sound, rather soften your hearing and listen to all of the sounds. Listen to the whole river of sound as it flows by.
  7. Keep most of your attention here as much as possible. Let everything else float by in the background. Let thoughts, emotions and physical sensations flow through like an undercurrent.
  8. When your attention has become absorbed in your thoughts (emotions or sensations) to the point that you are no longer noticing the sounds, simply let the thoughts go, and gently and kindly bring your attention back to the river and start a fresh. You can have an infinite number of fresh starts, so you can relax about that.
  9. End the practice when you feel ready or when your timer rings by bringing your attention back to your breath for a few breaths and then gently opening your eyes.

To Download:

Click on the Download button below. If it does not download automatically:

  1. A new window will open with an audio player (like the player above).
  2. Right click on the player and choose “Download File” or “Download Video”
  3. iPhone users will want to first copy the meditation into iTunes (on your computer) and then sync with your iPhone.

Note that you are welcome to download and share this file as many times as you like provided you do so in it’s entirety and used it for personal or educational uses only (no commercial uses).

3 Minute River of Sound Meditation

Mindfulness Practice: 3 Minute River of Sound

  1. Begin by getting into position, whatever position works best for your body. This position will become your body-mind’s signal that you are starting a practice. I suggest the following as it uses little muscular energy to stay upright and alert, and allows you to breathe easily :
    1. Sit on a chair (sofa, bed, etc) with your feet flat on the floor.
    2. Rest your hands where ever they are comfortable (neither propping yourself up or pulling yourself forward with your hands).
    3. Feel your sit bones pressing down.
    4. Float the crown of your head up so that it softly lifts your torso.
    5. Tuck your chin in a tiny bit so that the back of your neck is long, making sure it’s also soft.
    6. Soften your jaw.
  2. Close your eyes. Or keep them open, and look down at the floor (or whatever is in front of you) a few feet or meter or so in front of you, keeping your eyes relaxed.
  3. Bring your attention to your breath. Notice how it feels to breathe.
  4. Gently shift your attention to what you can hear.
  5. Imagine that you are a rock in the middle of a river. A river of sound.
  6. Notice the whole river of sound as it floats by. Don’t focus on a particular sound, rather soften your hearing and listen to all of the sounds. Listen to the whole river of sound as it flows by.
  7. Keep most of your attention here as much as possible. Let everything else float by in the background. Let thoughts, emotions and physical sensations flow through like an undercurrent.
  8. When your attention has become absorbed in your thoughts (emotions or sensations) to the point that you are no longer noticing the sounds, simply let the thoughts go, and gently and kindly bring your attention back to the river and start a fresh. You can have an infinite number of fresh starts, so you can relax about that.
  9. End the practice when you feel ready or when your timer rings by bringing your attention back to your breath for a few breaths and then gently opening your eyes.

To Download:

Click on the Download button below. If it does not download automatically:

  1. A new window will open with an audio player (like the player above).
  2. Right click on the player and choose “Download File” or “Download Video”
  3. iPhone users will want to first copy the meditation into iTunes (on your computer) and then sync with your iPhone.

Note that you are welcome to download and share this file as many times as you like provided you do so in it’s entirety and used it for personal or educational uses only (no commercial uses).

2 Minute Body Scan

Mindfulness Practice: 2 Minute Body Scan

  1. Begin by getting into position, whatever position works best for your body. This position will become your body-mind’s signal that you are starting a practice. I suggest the following:
    1. Sit on a chair (sofa, bed, etc) with your feet flat on the floor.
    2. Rest your hands where ever they are comfortable (neither propping yourself up or pulling yourself forward with your hands).
    3. Feel your sit bones pressing down.
    4. Float the crown of your head up so that it softly lifts your torso. This position allows you to breathe easily.
    5. Tuck your chin in a bit so that the back of your neck is soft and long.
    6. Soften your jaw.
  2. Close your eyes.
  3. Bring your attention to your breath. Notice how it feels to breathe.
  4. Gently shift your attention to your feet and feel the sensations in your feet.
  5. As much as you can, keep most of your attention on the sensations in your feet. Let thoughts, emotions and other physical sensations float through the background like passing clouds.
  6. If you find that your attention has become absorbed in your thoughts (emotions or sensations) to the point that you are no longer noticing the sensations in your feet, simply let the thoughts go, and kindly and gently bring your attention back to your feet and start a fresh. You get have an infinite number of fresh starts, so you can relax about that.
  7. Next move your attention to your seat. Feel the sensations of your seat bones pressing down and repeat the same steps as with the feet, gently bringing your attention back if you get absorbed in something else.
  8. Finally, move to your shoulders and repeat the process.
  9. End the practice by bringing your attention back to your breath for a few breaths. When you feel ready or when your timer rings,  gently open your eyes.

To Download:

Click on the Download button below.

If it does not download automatically:

  1. A new window will open with an audio player (like the player above).
  2. Right click on the player and choose “Download File” or “Download Video”
  3. iPhone users will want to first copy the meditation into iTunes (on your computer) and then sync with your iPhone.

Note that you are welcome to download and share this files as many times as you like provided you do so in it’s entirety and it is used for personal or educational use only (no commercial uses).