You might have a garden or even a potted plant where you live. Or take a walk to the closest park. Try to observe the beauty of the garden and the trees. See what happens to your mind. It will begin its usual commentary. “The garden needs some care, that plant is dying , it needs fertilizer, I wish I had more time to spend on the garden, the garden of my next door neighbor is better” etc etc.
When you become aware of the inner chatter come back to the present moment and just observe the garden as it is. Not how it should be or how it used to be. Both are not real. The reality is the garden as it is now. While being there observe how plants move in the wind, how butterflies and birds come . When you begin to observe the garden with mindfulness you will start to notice colours, shapes even falling of a tiny flower petal can grab your attention.
Apply the same technique when observing the waves of the sea, a flowing water flow, a fountain, and even the sky with clouds, if you live in a place with less light pollution observe the sky in the night to notice the stars, the moon, sunrise in the morning or the sunset in the evening
Be sensitive to the sounds of the nature, the sounds of birds, sound of wind, just allow them to reach you and leave you. Notice that you can observe a sound only while it last. Not before it occur not after it is gone. This kind of observing nature to bring the mind to the present moment can be a truly a significant experience.
Listen to the sounds that are near and those come from afar. Try not to get involved with the sounds by analyzing them or trying to judge them as good or bad. Just allow them to reach you and leave you.
When you start observing sounds you will invariably observe the silence in between. Become aware of the silence as well. But note the moment you verbalized the experience the silence vanishes.
The mind finds it very difficult to be without this inner chatter. It is this habit that jumps in to label the silence to miss it as well.
Three kids promised each other to observe total silence for one hour. They lit up a candle and sat around it with determination to observe silence. Within a few minutes a wind blew and the flame went off. The first kid said” oh the candle went off” the second one responded “ hey we are not suppose to speak’ and the third one announced “ see both of you spoke I am the only one who was silent”
This is exactly what happens to us. Since we are not used to being in silence the moment there is silence