Contemplative Journal Assignment #2
Mindful Listening

1.  Find a place where you can listen to music without distraction. If you have trouble finding such a place, at least locate yourself where you can wear headphones and close your eyes.

2.  Posture: if you can, choose a simple straight chair. Sit up and comfortably straighten your spine. Imagine that a hook is attached to the top of your head and pulling gently up. Your spine will lengthen. This shouldn’t be strained or military-straight; just comfortable-straight. Relax your shoulders. Also loosen your jaw and let your mouth stay very slightly open. Shake out your hands, then let them rest on your thighs where they naturally fall, palm up or down.

3.  Completely relax. Rest in open awareness. Let your mind go: Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

4.  Start a track of instrumental music (no singing), at least 20 minutes long.

5.  Begin to “watch” the music. Just follow the piece as it unfolds. Don’t think about anything; just listen.

6.  If you catch yourself thinking about something, simply notice it, say to yourself, “Thinking,” and go back to listening. Even if you go off on a looooong train of thoughts, as soon as you realize it, return to listening.

7.  Make a good effort to focus. Don’t beat yourself up at all if you lose focus, but put a comfortable amount of effort into it.

8.  Most likely, the music will provoke feeling in you. Observe it, see if you can even identify where in your body the feeling may be centered, but go back to listening without dwelling on the feeling.

9.  Really follow the sounds. Listen to each individual instrument, the stops and starts, the changes in tempo, pitch, or volume, the changes in texture, the way the instruments may be talking to each other.

10.  Breath naturally, if a little extra slowly and deeply, for the duration.

11.  If you start to get sleepy, take note of it, sit up a bit straighter, and continue listening. Increase the volume a bit if necessary.

12.  After 20 minutes, stop the music, breathe deeply, and just rest for a moment in open awareness. (Try not to check the time continually; just glance at a clock now and again.)

13.  Do this 3 times in the week, on different days.

14.  Record dates, places, and times in your journal. Also respond to these questions in at least a good paragraph:

i.  Describe your experience with a few adjectives: “soothing,” “difficult,” “interesting,” “boring,” “weird”—whatever words work.

ii.  Did your mind wander—did you catch yourself thinking instead of following the music? How often did this happen? Be completely honest; there’s no correct answer.

iii.  Did you notice any effects on your body? Can you describe them?

iv.  Do you typically listen to instrumental music? A little, a lot, never? If so, how was this specifically “mindful” listening experience different or the same from what usually happens for you?

v.  If you were already familiar with the piece, was the experience of listening to it different this time? How or how not?

vi.  Other observations?

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