Soothing Sounds Of Nature

One of the things that I like most is what you find outdoors.  Its the soothing sounds of nature that bring me to a place like no earthly sound can.  No music or man-made sound can match up to what we have in nature.

Today as I was walking through the woods, a beautiful stream of water coming out of the hills meandered along the walking path with me.  As it did, the sounds of water running over the rocks and trees and dirt was a beautiful sound.

It was refreshing and relaxing.  It was invigorating, but in a quiet and peaceful way.  It would grow louder in places and then quiet down.  The stream of water continued to flow towards the river ahead in a constant and consistent way as if everything was meant to be just as it was.

Mindfully Present

Have you ever just stopped and listened to what is around you? Have you noticed all the sounds that may be present? Sure, there are times when we hear the familiar sounds we know very well. But, just how much do we really hear and notice and take in? So often we are too busy in our lives to notice and be mindful of our surroundings.

If you really want to reset and be mindfully present, try quieting yourself and listening to what is around you. You may want to take a notebook with you and record all that you hear. See how many different sounds you can pick up on. Observe all that you can see. Notice everything that is going on. Allow yourself to be part of the moment, pushing aside all other thoughts, worries, and things you need to accomplish for your day. This time is about allowing yourself to be mindfully present in the moment.

For there is no better moment of rest that is energizing, refreshing and inviting than to surround yourself with the symphony of nature. All too often, we are too busy in our lives to just stop and let our mind, body and spirit be in the moment.

It is so easy for us to get caught up in our days, filled with electronics of all flavors, type and sizes. We are constantly bombarded by noise from the TV news, the cars rushing by or the chatter of our fellow humans. While many of these things may be a necessary part of our day, we need to balance our lives with time away from these noises. We cannot expect to let go when we are constantly bombarded with noise that never stops.

So, find a place in nature somewhere, as far removed from the city hustle and bustle, that you can. Take some fresh, cool water with you. When you arrive at your spot, make yourself comfortable. If you're having a difficult time quieting your thoughts, acknowledge them and then just sit there focusing on your breathing. Tell yourself, if you need to, that all the stresses and worries of your day are not needed int his moment. Let them go for now, because they will be there when you are done. However, they may appear different.

Then as you sink into the moment, just allow yourself to be there as an observer. Take note of all that you see, feel, sense, observe and pick up. If it feels right, try to record these things on a notebook, but stay mindful and present. Just sit there with all that is going on. Take in everything and see what shows up that you may not easily see. Just observe and notice it all.

Once you have finished, be thankful for this time. Then, notice how the rest of your day goes. Is there a change in how you view things in your life? Is there a change or shift in you? Do you feel a sense of ease? Just observe and notice all of it. Take it all in.


*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog

Silence Is Vanishing

In a Newsweek.com article (Jan 28, 2010 by Julia Baird), An Unquiet Nation, Audio ecologist Gordon Hempton discusses America's vanishing quiet spaces.

As the article goes on to state, "Silence is something you assume you will always be able to find if you need it. All you have to do is drive far enough in the right direction, trek through quiet fields or woods, or dive into the sea's belly." But in all reality, the quiet areas in our country and our world are rapidly disappearing.

In 1983, Gordon Hempton found 15 places in Washington State that were noise free for 15 minutes and by 2007, there were three of them.

Why should we care?
The body needs positive and negative stimulus. If we constantly give it one or ther other, our nervous system remain stagnant and do not allow for elasticity. In other words, without the effects of both positive and negative stimuli on our bodies, we just cannot handle as much as we could otherwise. Our nervous system keeps us in a very tight range of what it can handle.

However, silence is also important in that it allows our bodies, our minds and our souls to stop and rest; to repair and heal; and to experience all that is around us. So many of us live in places where constant noise is the norm from traffic all around us, to a constant flow of people, cell phones, electronic noises, and other barely noticeable sounds that impact our lives each day. With all of this going on around us constantly or almost constantly, how can our bodies come down and find a quiet moment of relaxation? If there is some activity or noise going on, where do we find peace in our day? One could make the argument that we find it within and while that is true, if we are impacted by all that is constantly around us, than can we truly find a peaceful moment?

On top of the noise pollution that is around us each day, many of us barely take the time to stop in our day let alone stop and listen to the sounds of nature around us. When was the last time, you stopped and just listened to the wind rustle through the trees, or maybe just absorbed the sounds of the many different birds singing around you? When was the last time, you just stopped in a remote, quiet place that you love and just listened and absorbed the symphony that nature provides you? Do you realize just how powerful that can be to give your mind, body and soul a place of peace, rest and healing?

We're So Busy These Days
We're so busy these days in our lives trying to go here and there, accomplish this task or that one, getting to this activity or meeting that we fail to stop and "smell the roses" so to speak. We've got music blasting continuously from our computers, the headphones on our iPods, the TV with the talking pundits or many other things. And if these aren't enough, we hear the constant buzz and hum of the computers we work on, or the fluorescent lights humming away in our office or the cars, planes and trucks zipping by on the road. Through all of this, most of the time we are oblivious that it is all occurring and we're taking in all of it whether we realize it or not.

My Challenge To You
So my challenge to you is to find a quiet place in your life, preferably outside among nature. When you find that quiet place, just sit back and take in all the sounds of nature that you can hear, even the silent ones. You can close your eyes if you feel safe or just sit there and observe, doing nothing more. Let the sounds of nature and the silent moments fill you from the top of your head to the bottom of your toes. Take it all in and notice your breathing, how your body feels and just all that you can sense. Notice your body tension, your aches and pains and your worries, than let them be adsorbed in the silent sounds of nature. Spend some time there without worrying about what tasks you have to do and see just how refreshed, relaxed and whole you feel when you come to the end of your symphony. Take a moment and be thankful for all that there is around us that is just waiting for us to connect to and make a pledge that you will do this frequently.

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More Information About Gordon Hempton

Book by Gordon Hempton: One Square Inch Of Silence

*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog