Listening to Others

Hi. And welcome to Headspace on listening to others. So it's really tempting when we're listening to others to not be fully present, to be distracted. Whether it's distracted by what's going on around us in our environment or maybe what's going on inside our own mind as we think back to things that might've happened in the past or other things that might be happening in the future. Or we may already be thinking of how we're going to reply to the person that we're speaking to rather than simply being present, listening actually hearing what's being said, taking that in and therefore moving a little bit closer in our connection with that person. So if you think about it, the skill is really noticing when we're distracted. And in doing that, then being present for that person. So we're just gonna practice for a minute or two. This exercise of noting. So right now, just take one big deep breath. And as you breathe out, just closing the eyes, settling the body, settling the mind. Let's take a moment to be aware of the body against the surface beneath you. And then just beginning to notice the movement of breath. So, as you follow that movement of breath in the body, that rising and falling sensation, your mind will become distracted from time to time. Notice that. Note it. Oh yeah, thinking, just silently. Let it go and come back to the breath again. So whether our object of focus is on our breath, on right now, or whether it's on the person that we're listening to, it doesn't matter, it's the same thing. We gently rest our attention on the object of focus. We notice when we're distracted, we note it. Oh yeah, thinking, we let it go and bring our attention back to that object of focus. So just practicing this skill in your meditation, in your life, whenever you have the opportunity. And in doing so, being more present, more available better able to listen to others....