You can use random sounds in your life as reminders to return to the present moment. Using sound in this way is highly provocative, because so many sounds incite irritation, speed, or anxiety. This technique encourages us to transcend our mood as we stow down, let go, and lightly touch in with the moment of now. 

You can use any sound to remind you to relax, breathe, and drink in the nectar of the present moment. 

Here are some suggestions:

• Let the sound of your neighbor's lawn mower early on Saturday morning bring you into the full reality of the moment -- wake up, breathe deeply, let go of irritation, and accept the precious gift of another day.
   

• Let the sound of children outside your office window cause you to pause, take a deep breath, sit up straight, and appreciate your work.
   

• Let the sound of the telephone or doorbell be an opportunity to return to now. When it rings, stop whatever you're doing. Do not talk or even think as you approach the ringing bell. Let the sound bring you back to your body, your senses, the joy of moving slowly through space. As you open the door or pick up the phone, take a deep breath.
   

• If you live in a city, you can do siren practice. Every 
  time you hear a siren, let that be your signal to come back to yourself. Pause, enjoy your breathing, and take a moment to touch in with your inner light.
   

• When outdoors, let singing birds, bubbling streams, or waves lapping at the shore remind you to enter the moment of now.

You can make this technique more specific by deciding each day on one particular sound. 

What will be your signal to stop, rest your mind, straighten your posture, and breathe deeply? On one day your signal for sounding presence might be the "beep" your computer makes when it has a question for you; on another day it might be the sound that the elevator doors outside your office make when they open and close. 

Whatever it is, let your sound of the day open your heart, release your story lines, and bring you squarely back to the abundance of right here, right now.

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