Mindful Listening - to Music
/This mindfulness exercise is especially for you, music lovers.
Listening to music can often stir up wonderful emotions in us. Other times, a song can start us spinning out or feeling sad about the past. The point of this practice is to train our minds by exercising nonjudgment and staying in the present moment.
Pick a song you have never heard before
Get comfortable in a place away from distractions
Try to stay neutral and avoid labeling the song by its title, artist or genre
Listen to the music with your full attention. Give yourself a pat on the back when you catch the mind swept away in thinking about something else. Bring yourself back and allow yourself to get fully absorbed in the music (the vocals, instruments, rhythm, etc). You may decide to drop into the body to actually feel the music (vibrations, where you feel it, what are the sensations).
The song can be anything! Some ideas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aMQ8db4Y4c Explosions in The Sky - Your Hand In Mine
https://buff.ly/2Sbf25d Snatam Kaur - Long Time Sun
https://buff.ly/2trw9Wl MC YOGI - Dancing In The Sun
https://buff.ly/2DO3gbQ Albinoni – Adagio In G Minor
https://buff.ly/2MvaHec Hang Massive - The Secret Kissing of the Sun and Moon
https://buff.ly/2SaG0JW Michael Franti & Spearhead - The Flower (feat. Victoria Canal)