Explore Sounded Silence, Shaped Space and Stirred Stillness through a simple encounter with everyday experience.
Listen with your whole being
Take a comfortable seat, or stand with support. Hear whatever is present: a bird, a voice, traffic or the hum of a room. Allow the sounds to arrive without choosing which belong.
Sounded Silence
Notice a sound beginning, changing and ending. Include the quiet around it. Silence need not mean a completely soundless room. Can listening welcome both the foreground sound and the openness in which it appears?
Shaped Space
Feel the body’s contact with the chair or ground. Notice the shape of your hands, shoulders and face, together with the space around them. Rather than imagining an invisible boundary, let the whole encounter be felt.
Stirred Stillness
If comfortable, allow a very small sway, then let it settle. Alternatively, simply feel the natural movement of breathing. Welcome movement and stillness together. Neither has to replace the other.
Who is listening?
Gently ask, “Who is aware of this?” You do not need to find another thing hidden behind the sounds and sensations. Notice how the idea of a separate listener is itself something that can appear in listening.
Bring Welcoming into the encounter
Let the body appear as it does today. Welcoming is space: what appears is not merely tolerated; it is welcomed. This includes a need to adjust your position or end the practice. Continue with ordinary activity, taking this inclusive listening with you.
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