Mindful Listening

Mindful listening is a practice of tuning into the environment, yourself, and others without judgment while being aware of internal thoughts, emotions, and any reactions you may have. It’s also noticing the silence between the sound, feeling the sound in your body, and being aware of experiences your eyes may not see. The following experience took place during the summer at James Boyce Park while walking through a hardwood forest. After arriving at the park I walked down one of the trails a short distance, stopped, and started with seasonal breathing. I was happy to be there and looked forward to this time with myself. After a few cycles of breathing I shifted my focus to the sounds around me. I stood in one spot and allowed my head and body to follow the sounds around me. There were birds, cicadas, an airplane changing their speed as they approached the airport, the wind from the hurricane blowing across the trees like waves in an ocean. As I walked I could hear the grit between my shoes and the pathed path. Eventually the paved path became gravel. As I stepped from one surface to the other I listened to the sound change as the gravel shifted and adjusted under my feet. As I walked I listened to the sounds around me, some in response to my presence. There were squirrels playing in the trees and I could hear nuts falling and hitting leaves on its way down. At one point I stopped in the path and followed two birds responding to each other as if I was watching a tennis match. As joggers approached and passed I would follow the sounds of their feet hitting the ground, getting louder and fading away into the distance. I could hear the diving board of a nearby swim club as kids perfected their cannon ball. I could hear the cars crossing a nearby bridge. As I kept walking I noticed there were less birds in one area but I didn't have to walk far to hear them again. At the end of the practice I felt a heighten sense of awareness of what was around me even though I may not be able to see it.

Seasonal Breathing

Seasonal breathing is a breathing practice where each part of the breathing process relates to a season. Breathing in represents Spring, the pause after the breath represents Summer, Breathing out represents Fall, with the pause between breaths representing winter. Breathing in continues the seasonal cycle of Spring. This is a nice breathing practice to connect with the natural environment and also with yourself. The following describes one of my experiences practicing Seasonal Breathing. 

It rained hard the night before and most of the morning. When I finally saw a break in the weather I decided to go to the Latta Nature Preserve just North of Charlotte, NC. I practiced Seasonal Breathing at two different locations at the Preserve. 

The first location was in a forest of hardwoods with their beautiful green canopies overhead. I found my mind was still back at the car, did I lock the car, did I bring my rain jacket, should I check the weather radar again. I let those thoughts go. I closed my eyes and allowed a moment for my body to arrive and settle in the new environment. I began by just simply breathing and taking a few deep breathes. After a moment I began to introduce the practice of seasonal breathing. I noticed right away that the air felt heavy and was hard to breath. The air was stale and I couldn't smell the Petrichor as I typically did after a rain. Had too much rain affected this? I continued to practice with each season, what each season meant to me, how it felt in my body, and what were my experiences. I focused on Spring and Fall first and then introduced Summer and Winter. If my thoughts wondered I just brought my awareness back to the current breath. After playing with each season I experienced the following; Spring: Breathing in life, taking in the smells and the sounds. Hearing the birds first chirp. Summer: Pausing to sense the natural energy around me, the life around me, the movement, the sounds. The bug now in my ear. Fall: Release and let it all go, let the energy go, to fall away. Winter: Time to pause and rest in the moment, to feel the calm around you before breathing in new life again. And the cycle of Seasonal Breathing continues. 

After taking a moment to reflect I moved on to another nearby location along a lake. Next to the water the air felt lighter and easier to breath. There were more pines around me now and I could sense a slight fragrance in the air when the wind blew across my face. After the practice in both locations I found myself more relaxed than when I started and much more aware of the environment around me. I encourage you to give this breathing practice a try the next time you're out in nature. Let me know about your experience in the comments.