(Madisyn Taylor)
The tool most commonly used to focus our minds in meditation is the breath. When we sit down to meditate, drawing our attention inward counteracts our habitual tendency to be scattered. Meditation on the breath helps us gather our energy into our bodies, cantering and grounding us in the present moment. Almost as readily available as our breath are the sounds of the natural world. From rain to wind to the ocean and birds, meditating on these aural manifestations brings us not only a sense of peace, but also an experience of connection to the physical world.
It is easy to get stuck inside our own heads and our individual lives. We get caught up in our goals and plans and almost forget that we live in a world that is always there, humming away in the background. There is an internal shift that occurs when we tune into that background and really give it our attention. It's as if we are discovering a more expansive world, because we are. We are also experiencing ourselves in relation to something larger. This discovery makes us feel rejuvenated and more expansive.
The vast and ceaselessly churning ocean is an ideal place for meditating on the sounds of nature. Sit quietly and surrender to the sounds of the thundering, crashing waves. Let go of your ambitions and listen. Rivers and lakes also sing their own songs. Even if you live in the middle of a city, the wind howls and whistles and the rain taps out a variety of sounds depending on where it falls on the sidewalk, a tin roof, a car window, or a muddy slope. Tune into these sounds next time you hear them instead of letting them fade into the background. Stop and listen as if you are hearing a sublime piece of music. Let the music of this world take you on a journey of natural sounds.
My Thoughts:
I am extremely blessed to have the sound of the sea right outside my window, but that wasn’t always the case.
Although as a kid I was within walking distance of the Thames estuary, my adult life eventually saw me moving further away from the sea until I was living in the middle of the UK, miles away from any conceivable easy connection with it regardless of the direction travelled. But even that did not keep me away completely.
At every opportunity I would take myself off for a fix. Blackpool was the easiest to get to by train, so I would regularly return to an old stomping ground to sit on the prom and do nothing but listen to the waves. Winter was the best time to go as once the illuminations had finished then I could find places to myself, places that allowed me to get lost in the momentum of the waves, the sounds and the smells. Having lived along that coast I also knew where to escape to in the summer, places little used where I could avoid detection and distractions yet still not be too far from civilisation. These were magic times, special in more ways than I could ever explain.
They rejuvenated my soul, calmed my mind and revitalised me with enough energy to face things again, well for a short while. I was like an addict … always needing a fix to get me through.
My partner really could not grasp the concept of my desire to live within sight of the ocean, until we moved to our current house. Now, gazing out to sea, watching the multitude of moods that mother nature has over this land and the way nothing is ever the same from one minute to the next … he gets it. And now, he also never wants to live inland again.