Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today I'm going to talk about tuning into the subtleties around us as a mindfulness practice. So recently I woke up one morning, before dawn, and I decided to take a walk around my garden before my morning meditation. And so much of the world was still and quiet at that time of day. But then as I attuned myself to the soundscape around me, I began to notice more and more subtle sounds.

So much of the world was still dark at that time, too. But as I began to look more deeply, I began to see more details, more movement, more of the life around me. I saw the pinkish glow of the first light reflected on the leaves of a nearby tree. I noticed the length of each note of a distant birdsong. I felt the cool touch of a slight breeze on my skin.

And I noticed the rustling of the long grass nearby. And as I stood there and I took more time to look and listen more deeply, suddenly it was like the world around me came to life in a whole new way with added dimensions of richness and complexity and vibrancy. And I came to life too, I noticed. And so in daily life, we often overlook the richness and subtlety of experience all around us. Perhaps a lot of the time it's because we're too busy to stop and really take it all in.

Or perhaps because our mind is so busy, wrapped up in thinking that we can't see and feel what's right there under our noses. But if we can pause every now and then from being caught up in thinking, and instead begin to tune in really deeply to our senses, we notice all the subtleties of our experience. And it's like the world then begins to reveal itself to us in new dimensions of beauty and depth. So today I invite you to make this your practice, if you care to. Just a pause every now and then, and pay attention to subtleties.

Doing so with a curious, perhaps even reverent attitude. You might like to notice the play of light and shadow in the room around you. You might tune into your emotions and really feel where they are in the body. What are all the different little sensations that make them up. You might feel the gentle rhythm of your breath and the way your body gently swells and subsides with each breath.

How each breath is slightly different and unique. You might feel the textures of clothing against your skin, all the different kinds of textures. Just let yourself pause every now and then and lean into life in this way. The more we practice being attentive to the subtle sensations, the more present and connected and alive we naturally feel. I wish you a wonderful and uplifting day of practice with this.

And as always, thank you for your practice and your presence here with us. And let's settle in for today's meditation.