There was a blog linked here some time ago where the author turned off his internal dialog and was able to observe his more automatic behavior. I recall trying it on my way to work and was fascinated. It was not like meditation, but I was still suspicious of the safety. This piece just reminds me that I need to try it again, but I dont recall how.
I cant find it, but it turns out I can still do it. As I recall, that author had described the experience as being animal-like. My approach:
Have no music on - following a melody feels similar to following speech to me.
Dont be around people who are talking. With practice you will be able to have them present and utterly ignore their words, so make sure they're not talking to you first.
Take a wide eyed look around your environment. Visually (or any way but verbally) imagine you are an animal (you are of course but one that doesnt speak). Look at objects purely visually and repress the urge to "name" them in your head.
If you find your inner dialog active dont "tell it" to stop, just focus on a the visual or other sensory experience.
I find when this works, some muscles spontaneously relax that hadn't noticed were tense. I'm not sure I'm getting as far as that blog I recall, but it really is interesting to observe things without that dialog. You can even perform tasks, unlike during meditation.
