Jack Kornfield, a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center, leads a guided meditation with sound. He uses bells to help us notice sounds appearing and disappearing.
Sound may be one of our most underappreciated senses, and it can have a real effect on the human spirit, as can silence. This guided meditation with sound led by Jack Kornfield is an invitation into the peace and flow we may find when we open ourselves up to even the subtlest sounds. Kornfield uses bells throughout this meditation, guiding us to pay closer attention to the appearance and disappearance of each ring.
Embracing Flow
One of the benefits of sound awareness is that as we listen, we come to see the transient nature of sound. As we settle into the natural rhythm of sound, its comings and its goings, we may come into greater resonance with life’s flow. We might then inquire: where can I embrace flow in other realms of life? Can I embrace the flow of emotions? The flow of all things I hold onto? As we learn to embrace flow, we may find ourselves relaxing more deeply into the present moment, and peace and contentment may rise to the surface.
Simple Sound Meditation
We can practice mindfulness of sound at any point in the day when we are able to sit quietly with the natural environment for some time. Even if for only a few minutes, we can ground ourselves through the breath first and then expand our awareness to embrace the comings and goings of all subtle and loud sounds in the environment around us. In this way, sound is used as a tool to guide us into present moment awareness. The mind may quiet, and a sense of relaxation may follow.
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