Listening Beyond Noise: 4-Minute Presence Practice

Time needed: 4 minutes (80-80-80 seconds)

Setting: When needing clarity or feeling overwhelmed by external voices

Purpose: Cultivating deeper listening beneath mental chatter

Creating Listening Space (80 seconds)

What: Find quiet spot. Cup hands behind ears, then slowly move them forward until hands rest on face, symbolically clearing away external noise. Take three breaths with eyes closed.

Notice: Initial mental noise, gradual settling, subtle sounds emerging

Why: Creates boundary from external influences, symbolizes turning attention inward, prepares for deeper listening

Descending Attention (80 seconds)

What: Imagine attention as elevator slowly descending from head through throat, chest, solar plexus, belly, arriving at lower belly. With each "floor," notice sensations before continuing down.

Notice: How different areas hold different information, where you naturally want to linger, what becomes audible when attention descends

Why: Shifts from analytical to embodied listening, accesses deeper wisdom, changes listening quality

Beneath the Words (80 seconds)

What: From this deeper place, ask: "What needs to be heard right now?" Don't rush to find words. Allow images, sensations, colors, or knowing to emerge.

Notice: What arises when you listen beyond language, how this information differs from thinking, where truth resonates

Why: Accesses intuitive knowledge, develops subtler listening, connects to authentic needs