--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One way to practice staying present is to…" description: "\"One way to practice staying present is to simply sit still for a while and listen. For one minute, listen to the sounds close to you. For one minute, l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhist_one-way-to-practice-staying-present-is-t_2425283.png" --- # One way to practice staying present is to simply sit still… ![“One way to practice staying present is to simply sit still for a while and listen. For one minute, listen to the sounds close to you. For one minute, listen to the sounds at a distance. Just listen attentively.” quote by Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhist_one-way-to-practice-staying-present-is-t_2425283.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhist_one-way-to-practice-staying-present-is-t_2425283.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhist_one-way-to-practice-staying-present-is-t_2425283.png) > “One way to practice staying present is to simply sit still for a while and listen. For one minute, listen to the sounds close to you. For one minute, listen to the sounds at a distance. Just listen attentively.” [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Practicing presence involves quiet observation of immediate and distant sounds to anchor awareness in the moment. **In simple terms:** Sit still, listen to nearby and far sounds. Key Takeaway Use listening to ground yourself. Themes mindfulness presence awareness Mood calm focused reflective Type instructional mindful When to use this quote - stress reduction - daily mindfulness practice - therapy sessions - education workshops Key Concepts meditation sensory focus Questions to Reflect On - How does sound shape your sense of now? - What distractions arise when you try to listen? A Different Perspective May be difficult for those with hyperactive thoughts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buddhist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhist/) [Deep listening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-listening/) [Distance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance/) [Just listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-listen/) [Listen Attentively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listen-attentively-1715522/) [Listen Sounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listen-sounds-548350/) [Listening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listening/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [One minute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-minute/) [One way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-way/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Practice Staying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice-staying-1859554/) [Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Staying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staying/) [Staying Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staying-present-1312469/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [How do we cultivate the conditions for joy to expand? We train in staying present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/how-do-we-cultivate-the-conditions-for-joy-to-expand-we-train-in/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [I didn't understand going to practice two hours early, going hard in practice, and then staying an extra hour after that. But once I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-booker/i-didn-t-understand-going-to-practice-two-hours-early-going-hard-in/) [Devin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-booker/) > [I practice staying calm all the time, beginning with situations that aren't tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/i-practice-staying-calm-all-the-time-beginning-with-situations-that/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [You should never give yourself a chance to fall apart because, when you do, it becomes a tendency and it happens over and over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/you-should-never-give-yourself-a-chance-to-fall-apart-because-when/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Listen to the sounds of nature. Wishing you the best on your trek towards your dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalpana-chawla/listen-to-the-sounds-of-nature-wishing-you-the-best-on-your-trek/) [Kalpana Chawla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalpana-chawla/) > [“Be silent like a rock, deeply rooted and straight like a tree, bend like a reed in the wind, listen to the sounds that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irina-serban/be-silent-like-a-rock-deeply-rooted-and-straight-like-a-tree-bend/) [Irina Serban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irina-serban/) > [We listen too much to the telephone and we listen too little to nature. The wind is one of my sounds. A lonely sound,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-kostelanetz/we-listen-too-much-to-the-telephone-and-we-listen-too-little-to/) [Andre Kostelanetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-kostelanetz/) > [“Love has a sound, if you know what to listen for. It sounds like silence, surrounded by blindness. It’s the Helen Keller of emotions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/love-has-a-sound-if-you-know-what-to-listen-for-it-sounds-like/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [For myself and my own experience now, I don't really need any music. I have enough to listen to with just the sounds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/for-myself-and-my-own-experience-now-i-don-t-really-need-any-music-i/) [John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/) > [Everybody should have his personal sounds to listen for - sounds that will make him exhilarated and alive or quiet and calm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-kostelanetz/everybody-should-have-his-personal-sounds-to-listen-for-sounds-that/) [Andre Kostelanetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-kostelanetz/) > [Listen to sounds beyond silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/listen-to-sounds-beyond-silence/) [Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/) > [Shh. Listen to the sounds that surround you. Notice the pitches, the volume, the timbre, the many lines of counterpoint. As light taught Monet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/shh-listen-to-the-sounds-that-surround-you-notice-the-pitches-the/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [The music I actually listen to sounds nothing like my own!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-tin/the-music-i-actually-listen-to-sounds-nothing-like-my-own/) [Christopher Tin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-tin/) > [For me, it's all about staying present and just being in the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-labbe/for-me-it-s-all-about-staying-present-and-just-being-in-the-moment/) [Stephanie Labbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-labbe/) > [Staying present, living in Presence is the best gift anyone can give to those they love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-finley/staying-present-living-in-presence-is-the-best-gift-anyone-can-give/) [Guy Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-finley/) ## More by Pema Chodron > [“LIFE’S work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into your life wake you up rather than put you to sleep.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/life-s-work-is-to-wake-up-to-let-the-things-that-enter-into-your-life/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/since-death-is-certain-and-the-time-of-death-is-uncertain-what-is-the/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [The essence of generosity is letting go. Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something - usually ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-generosity-is-letting-go-pain-is-always-a-sign-that-we/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“If the object of meditation were something concrete, something solid and graspable - an image or a statue or a dot on the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-the-object-of-meditation-were-something-concrete-something-solid/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately fill up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-a-transformative-experience-to-simply-pause-instead-of/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“The essence of life is that it’s challenging. Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter. Sometimes your body tenses, and sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-life-is-that-it-s-challenging-sometimes-it-is-sweet/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-run-a-hundred-miles-an-hour-to-the-other-end-of-the-continent/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“But in this meditation technique, we are with the out-breath; there's no particular instruction about what to do until the next out-breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-in-this-meditation-technique-we-are-with-the-out-breath-there-s/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/nothing-ever-goes-away-until-it-has-taught-us-what-we-need-to-know/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [So even if the hot loneliness is there, and for 1.6 seconds we sit with that restlessness when yesterday we couldn't sit for even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/so-even-if-the-hot-loneliness-is-there-and-for-1-6-seconds-we-sit/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If you have rage and righteously act it out and blame it all on others, it's really you who suffers. The other people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-you-have-rage-and-righteously-act-it-out-and-blame-it-all-on/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“When we realize that the path is the goal, there’s a sense of workability. Trungpa Rinpoche said, “Whatever occurs in the confused mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/when-we-realize-that-the-path-is-the-goal-there-s-a-sense-of/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-is-a-new-opportunity-to-work-with-what-you-have-inside/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) [Explore all 664 Pema Chodron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## More Buddhist quotes > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [One of his students asked Buddha, "Are you the Messiah?" "No," answered Buddha. "Then are you a healer?" "No," Buddha replied. "Then are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/one-of-his-students-asked-buddha-are-you-the-messiah-no-answered/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [For fear of causing terror to living beings, Mahamati, let the Bodhisattva who is disciplining himself to attain compassion, refrain from eating flesh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/for-fear-of-causing-terror-to-living-beings-mahamati-let-the/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Be lamps unto yourselves. Be refuges unto yourselves. Take yourself no external refuge. Hold fast to the truth as a lamp. Hold fast to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/be-lamps-unto-yourselves-be-refuges-unto-yourselves-take-yourself-no/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Humility simply means that you do a great job at everything and it isn't really a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/humility-simply-means-that-you-do-a-great-job-at-everything-and-it/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Speak only the speech that neither torments self nor does harm to others. That speech is truly well spoken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/speak-only-the-speech-that-neither-torments-self-nor-does-harm-to/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [I don't look at anything. Every person whether he is Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist, he is my brother, my sister. I think we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/i-don-t-look-at-anything-every-person-whether-he-is-hindu-muslim-or/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [My family is Jewish, Buddhist, Baptist and Catholic. I don't believe in man-made religions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/my-family-is-jewish-buddhist-baptist-and-catholic-i-don-t-believe-in/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [I'm working at trying to be a Christian, and that's serious business. It's like trying to be a good Jew, a good Muslim, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-m-working-at-trying-to-be-a-christian-and-that-s-serious-business/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“Even my Buddhist friends have been feeling despair and when they go bad, you know the end is nigh.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/even-my-buddhist-friends-have-been-feeling-despair-and-when-they-go/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [He who causes suffering shall suffer. There is no escape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/he-who-causes-suffering-shall-suffer-there-is-no-escape/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [“When I think about what it would take to achieve freedom from all psychological stuff, the response that comes is this: life is about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-m-ingram/when-i-think-about-what-it-would-take-to-achieve-freedom-from-all/) [Daniel M. Ingram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-m-ingram/) > [If my happiness at this moment consists largely in reviewing happy memories and expectations, I am but dimly aware of this present. I shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/if-my-happiness-at-this-moment-consists-largely-in-reviewing-happy/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The Buddha gave his first talks, and three or four ascetics became his first disciples. They recognized his enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-buddha-gave-his-first-talks-and-three-or-four-ascetics-became-his/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) [Browse all 1,479 Buddhist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One way to practice staying present is to simply sit still for a while and listen. For one minute, listen to the sounds close to you. For one minute, listen to the sounds at a distance. Just listen attentively.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pema Chodron" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/one-way-to-practice-staying-present-is-to-simply-sit-still-for-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Buddhist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/one-way-to-practice-staying-present-is-to-simply-sit-still-for-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhist_one-way-to-practice-staying-present-is-t_2425283.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhist_one-way-to-practice-staying-present-is-t_2425283.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhist_one-way-to-practice-staying-present-is-t_2425283.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One way to practice staying present is to simply sit still for a while and listen. For one minute, listen to…” — Pema Chodron", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Pema Chodron", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One way to practice staying present...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/one-way-to-practice-staying-present-is-to-simply-sit-still-for-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/one-way-to-practice-staying-present-is-to-simply-sit-still-for-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```