A student walked out of my restorative yoga class because the clock ticking in the room was irritating her and she couldn’t relax through it. This was a long time ago, before Breathe Together Yoga even opened, but I notice students experiencing the same difficulties with distracting sounds (if not especially) even now. I feel empathy, since I am also easily distracted by repetitive sounds.

At the time, I went to Meditation Teacher Sharon Allen and asked her what she recommends for this type of distraction. The first thing she asked me was if the distraction could be avoided; in other words, can we remove the ticking clock? (I smiled at that because I was expecting her to give me a lecture about how we need to learn to practice with the distraction.) After we determined that I couldn’t take down the clock and remove the distraction, she offered me a practice that I have found priceless, one that I have expanded on and that often helps me during meditation.

First, identify the sensation (in this case, it is the sound of a ticking clock). Really focus on it, as if you were going to describe it to someone at a later time. Be interested in its qualities. As you rest your awareness on the sensation, notice if there are any changes in its qualities.

Now, imagine that there is a “space” for this sensation in your palate of awareness, that its qualities form a kind of shape in your mind. Next, notice that while there is a space for this sensation, there is also a space where this sensation doesn’t exist. In the case of the ticking clock, there are moments when the clock is not ticking; imagine that there is a “space” in the room where there is an absence of the sound. Allow your awareness to rest in that place between the sensations. Notice any judgments or opinions about the sensation, or about your ability to identify non-sensation, and let those pass. Rest in this awareness of sensation for as long as you are able to stay with it, without attaching to the sensation. For example, notice that space between the clock ticking, but resist the urge to wish the sound away or to extend the silence between the sounds.

You may begin to notice other sensations, but do so with this balance in mind, taking in the sensation and non-sensation, and meeting both with equanimity. I work this way with sound, bodily sensation (breath, physical discomfort, etc.), thought, and emotion.

Try this technique any time you find yourself distracted during meditation, or as a practice on its own – even for five minutes a day – and see how it makes you feel.