Hello,
And welcome to the second day of Spring Break.
This is Aileen,
Your guide as you journey through your five senses,
Finding a deeper connection with your body and the earth.
Cultivating a sense of awe,
Of wonder,
Of belonging,
And of deep,
Nourishing,
And deserved rest.
So get comfy.
You can sit with your spine straight and supported,
Or if you prefer,
You can choose to lie down.
Tune in to your breathing,
Allowing it to flow in and out of your body with ease.
Notice its rhythm and depth without judgment.
Just allow yourself to arrive here now.
I'm so glad you could join me.
For this meditation,
I'd like you to imagine yourself somewhere in nature.
It could be the same place you journeyed to yesterday,
Or somewhere new.
Wherever you find yourself,
Take a moment to look around and notice the details.
Now bring your awareness to your faculty of hearing.
In this place you have journeyed to,
Begin to notice what you hear.
Perhaps there is birdsong in the trees.
Perhaps you can hear the wind rustling through long grasses.
Or maybe the sound of waves breaking rhythmically on the beach.
Take a few moments here to explore your environment with your ears.
And if your mind has wandered,
Bring it gently back to the place you have chosen to explore.
Bring your awareness again to the sounds that are present in this environment.
Gently tune in to the nuance and the layers of sound that exist in this place.
Go deeper into it.
Lose yourself in the symphony of natural sounds.
And bring yourself back to the sounds.
Can you hear the sound of ants building their hives?
Of trees growing?
Of music in the wind?
Spend a little more time here.
And now slowly bring your attention back to your breathing.
Feel your body where it makes contact with your chair or your bed.
Become aware of the room you are in.
Sound is a powerful tool in our health and well-being.
We have all experienced the power that music can have on our physical and emotional state.
Natural sounds may have a more subtle effect on our nervous system,
But the effect is still very real.
Listening to the sounds of nature leads to a decrease stress and pain,
And increases positive affect even when these sounds are listened to as recordings.
Natural sounds promote outward-focused attention,
Which reduces our levels of rumination and worry.
They also improve concentration,
Speeding up our reaction times.
They are particularly helpful if you are experiencing high levels of stress,
As natural sounds increase the activity of your parasympathetic,
That rest-and-digest nervous system response.
As you move through the rest of your day,
Be aware of the sounds in your environment.
If you are able to get outside and listen to the sound of water or birdsong,
I'd encourage you to do so.
But if that's not a possibility for you,
Try playing an audio track of nature sounds while you work,
And notice if there are any shifts in your emotional or physical state.
Thank you for joining me on this exploration of hearing.
I look forward to journeying with you again tomorrow,
When we will explore the world through the rich sense of smell.
