The sound bath class sounds very intriguing - glad you are able to find ways to destress! Honestly, I need to pay attention to my senses more. When I think of some that stand out - my favorite soft sweatshirt, the sound of waves, the smell of a Thymes fraser fir candle, seeing a rainbow, the lights of a city skyline! Good reminder to 'be still' and feel with my senses!
Yes, the sound bath is surprisingly relaxing. The 45 minutes passes quite quickly.
I'm sitting here typing in my favorite soft sweatshirt, so I definitely relate to that sensory comfort. The fraser fir candle reminds me how we associate many specific scents with certain seasons or holidays. That's part of the delight and experience for sure. Thanks for sharing, Sara!
Sound is one of my favorite senses. I love silence because I love to listen for the tiniest of sounds - the hum of a device, the rhythm of my own breathe or heartbeat, the creaking of board or walls in the house- and because sounds that I would normally miss due to being lost in thought suddenly are clear. At work I have a new "tuning fork" type bell. The sound, when hit, is long and soothing. It feels like it purifies the energy in the room.
Another "sense" I've been tuning into is the "6th" sense. To me this is my gut or my intuition. When I'm able to be still and silent, I can sometimes focus my attention on what my body feels or senses. A yoga teacher explained it like this - be still and quiet and focus your attention on yes. Notice where I feel it in my body. Notice an associations that come with it. Do the same thing with no and maybe. I think my body knows so much more than I can access because I'm always so busy listening to the mind that I forget to listen to the body.
I love this exploration of the senses, Mary! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Lori! I like the idea of the sixth sense - very interesting. I may try the practice the yoga teacher shared and see what happens. And I'm with you on silence. I love it! We can notice so much in the quiet, as you mentioned. I'm curious about the tuning fork. We'll have to chat more about that... :)
And I liked your idea of recording your walk! I went for an early evening walk. And I listened very carefully. I didn't record.
It was interesting how I noticed the nuanced sounds of vehicles - the differing sounds of the motor of various cars and trucks, the sounds of the tires on the road versus turning a corner. I also noticed the nuanced sound of the wind. Depending on which street and direction I was walking, I could hear the wind whooshing or whispering. I could hear the wind in the trees and I could hear the wind rustling the leaves on the ground. There was also nuance in the sound of the leaves being trodden upon. Some leaves made a more popping noise while others sounded more like crashing or crinkling.
Because you mentioned your foot falls, I listened to mine. I was wearing slide sandals and they were quiet but a little squeaky, with a tiny bit of snap or click as it hit my heel. I did hear some footfalls behind me on occasion.
I heard some voices but surprisingly few. And not many birds at that time of evening, sadly.
On the way back I wasn't practicing the listening so intently but a came across a group of people having a kerfuffle. There is a neighborhood bicycle evangelist. He was out preaching on a corner. The folks in the nearby houses were none too happy. Urban soundscape!
I love these observations of sound, Lori. Thanks for sharing. It's fascinating that even among the same sound categories - ie. the wind or the leaves - there are subtle differences. I'm also thinking about how I can make my workday walk "breaks" more mindful by tuning into my senses, especially sound.
One of my favorite sounds in nature by far is walking through crunchy leaves in fall! I often listen to music or podcasts on my runs/walks/bike rides, but it can be nice to pause or remove my headphones to listen to the rustling leaves, water lapping, or birds chirping! I also pause a lot to take photos, so I definitely want to try to be more mindful of my senses, too, in those moments.
Yes, I love crunching leaves underfoot too! Moving water is another favorite of mine - running river, babbling brook, crashing waves, falling rain, etc. I see a lot of people walk/run/bike with headphones. I'm glad you take a break from yours sometimes. It's good to tune in, instead, to the world around you at times. Thanks for commenting, Anna! xoxo
The sound bath class sounds very intriguing - glad you are able to find ways to destress! Honestly, I need to pay attention to my senses more. When I think of some that stand out - my favorite soft sweatshirt, the sound of waves, the smell of a Thymes fraser fir candle, seeing a rainbow, the lights of a city skyline! Good reminder to 'be still' and feel with my senses!
Yes, the sound bath is surprisingly relaxing. The 45 minutes passes quite quickly.
I'm sitting here typing in my favorite soft sweatshirt, so I definitely relate to that sensory comfort. The fraser fir candle reminds me how we associate many specific scents with certain seasons or holidays. That's part of the delight and experience for sure. Thanks for sharing, Sara!
Sound is one of my favorite senses. I love silence because I love to listen for the tiniest of sounds - the hum of a device, the rhythm of my own breathe or heartbeat, the creaking of board or walls in the house- and because sounds that I would normally miss due to being lost in thought suddenly are clear. At work I have a new "tuning fork" type bell. The sound, when hit, is long and soothing. It feels like it purifies the energy in the room.
Another "sense" I've been tuning into is the "6th" sense. To me this is my gut or my intuition. When I'm able to be still and silent, I can sometimes focus my attention on what my body feels or senses. A yoga teacher explained it like this - be still and quiet and focus your attention on yes. Notice where I feel it in my body. Notice an associations that come with it. Do the same thing with no and maybe. I think my body knows so much more than I can access because I'm always so busy listening to the mind that I forget to listen to the body.
I love this exploration of the senses, Mary! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Lori! I like the idea of the sixth sense - very interesting. I may try the practice the yoga teacher shared and see what happens. And I'm with you on silence. I love it! We can notice so much in the quiet, as you mentioned. I'm curious about the tuning fork. We'll have to chat more about that... :)
And I liked your idea of recording your walk! I went for an early evening walk. And I listened very carefully. I didn't record.
It was interesting how I noticed the nuanced sounds of vehicles - the differing sounds of the motor of various cars and trucks, the sounds of the tires on the road versus turning a corner. I also noticed the nuanced sound of the wind. Depending on which street and direction I was walking, I could hear the wind whooshing or whispering. I could hear the wind in the trees and I could hear the wind rustling the leaves on the ground. There was also nuance in the sound of the leaves being trodden upon. Some leaves made a more popping noise while others sounded more like crashing or crinkling.
Because you mentioned your foot falls, I listened to mine. I was wearing slide sandals and they were quiet but a little squeaky, with a tiny bit of snap or click as it hit my heel. I did hear some footfalls behind me on occasion.
I heard some voices but surprisingly few. And not many birds at that time of evening, sadly.
On the way back I wasn't practicing the listening so intently but a came across a group of people having a kerfuffle. There is a neighborhood bicycle evangelist. He was out preaching on a corner. The folks in the nearby houses were none too happy. Urban soundscape!
I love these observations of sound, Lori. Thanks for sharing. It's fascinating that even among the same sound categories - ie. the wind or the leaves - there are subtle differences. I'm also thinking about how I can make my workday walk "breaks" more mindful by tuning into my senses, especially sound.
One of my favorite sounds in nature by far is walking through crunchy leaves in fall! I often listen to music or podcasts on my runs/walks/bike rides, but it can be nice to pause or remove my headphones to listen to the rustling leaves, water lapping, or birds chirping! I also pause a lot to take photos, so I definitely want to try to be more mindful of my senses, too, in those moments.
Yes, I love crunching leaves underfoot too! Moving water is another favorite of mine - running river, babbling brook, crashing waves, falling rain, etc. I see a lot of people walk/run/bike with headphones. I'm glad you take a break from yours sometimes. It's good to tune in, instead, to the world around you at times. Thanks for commenting, Anna! xoxo