Noting Judgements Meditation

The practice of noting is a foundational aspect of mindfulness.
Popular in MBSR and insight meditation, noting allows us to clearly observe what is happening
without getting hooked into the experience. This “nonjudgmental noting” exercise will help you practice separating your judgment of your experiences from the experiences themselves.
When you begin to untangle the two, you start training your mind to let go.

Sit in an upright position and let the eyes close.
Using the breath, invite both awareness and relaxation into the body and mind.
 

Breathing in, reach the spine upward and bring energy into the body.
Breathing out, let everything go.
Let the jaw go slack, drop the shoulders away from the ears, and soften the muscles of the
belly.

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Start opening your awareness to include any sensations in the body.
Mindfully observe that feeling for a few moments;
then open yourself up to other experiences in the body.

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Invite the sense of hearing into your practice.

When you hear a sound, recognize that you are hearing.

If a judgment arises about the sound, recognize it but don’t try to do anything about it. 

Continue practicing with openness.

After settling into this practice for a few minutes, notice when the mind begins judging.
The mind may label some experiences or feelings as good or right, and others as bad or wrong.
 

Don’t encourage or discourage these judgments; just notice them when they come up.
Continue like this for a few minutes.

 

For any judgements labelling something as bad or wrong, notice any fear behind the judgement. 
Continue this practice for a few minutes. 

Whether you are hearing, feeling something in the body, or hooked into a thought, remain
aware of your experience.
 

Whenever a judgment is present, name it and leave it be.
Resist the tendency to push it away, but do not engage with it any further.

Finish with a few deep breaths, settling the awareness back into the body before opening the
eyes.

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