Curiosity meditations
When we get caught in our daily routines, everything around us can start to feel dull. Time and space blur together in a fog as we drift into a state of passivity and indifference. Our curiosity is at an all-time low.
In these moments, focusing on the here and now can lead us to new places. Pause time for a moment, free your mind and take a break in the present. Set yourself into an active state of wonder and curiosity.
Observe the world around you. Try to perceive everything with fresh eyes, as if seeing the world for the first time in your life.
Focus on the layers of sound — the distant but constant hum of cars, children’s laughter nearby, the faint rustle of wind through the leaves, birds chatting in the trees above your head.
Watch this leaf as it slowly falls to the ground. How does it move with the wind? What sound does it make as you touch it? How does it feel as you observe it with your hand? See how the colors change as you hold it against the sunlight. When was the last time you tasted a leaf? Was it bitter, sweet, fresh? Why do we call it a leaf anyway? “L e a f” — listen to the sound of the word as it rolls over your tongue. What feelings does it evoke when you hear yourself say it? Is it a nice sound?
Feel the air as you slowly inhale it into your body. Do you feel the fresh coldness of it as it passes through your lungs and escapes your nose with a soft sound?
Observe the people around you. Where are they headed? What could be on their minds? Step into their heads and the stories that led them to this place. Are they, too, caught in the same indifference you felt before?
Think of the person just walking by — the one that gave you that brief absent look — as the main character of the story while you play a background role. How does it feel to release your own perspective? Liberating? Frightening? Does it lead your mind to new places? Stop your constant inner monologue for a moment and listen to all the voices around you. Every person, the main character of their own story, carrying their own fears, hopes, troubles, and intentions.
Visit the same spot at different times of day and different seasons of the year. What changes do you notice? What remains the same?
You will repeat this curiosity meditation many times, in many places. Pause the world around you whenever the speed gets too fast. Stay a while and listen. In the present.
Keep your mind open. Trust your body and listen to your senses. After all we are still hunter-gatherers somehow lost in a hi-tech world.
