So many times we have spoken of the importance of accepting and allowing. Yet so many times the focus has been on our mental attitude. Today we are going to highlight the experience of physically accepting and allowing. In order to do so, we will dig into the commonly employed practice of mindful listening.
What is mindful listening?
There are many different varieties of mindful listening. For example, many teachings encourage us to try to be truly present when someone is speaking to us and really focus on hearing what they are communicating. This can have a profound effect on our relationships. Ironically, when we make someone else feel as if they have been heard, it can completely change their view and willingness to accept and hear us as well. Much more can be said on the benefits of this sort of mindfulness practice.
Today’s lesson, however, revolves around what could also be called active sound meditation. Our last lesson aimed at changing our relationship with our blocked energy. In this lesson, we will incorporate those ideas and begin to transform our moment to moment relationship with the world around us. It all begins with a simple mindfulness practice that we can seamlessly turn to throughout the normal course of the day. Let’s get started.
Vibrational disturbance
I live in the city. It feels like there is an increasingly popular trend of cars being purposefully modified to sound louder and louder. Each time I think I have heard the, frankly, most obnoxiously loud car I could possibly hear, another even louder one comes along. We could easily get diverted into a conversation about how all of this relates to the ego. Alas, I digress. We are not talking about people’s attempts to find identity through their material possessions. No, the focus here is internal and personal.
Think about how you have, no doubt, previously reacted to loud, sudden or annoying sounds. Of course there is an experience of the initial shock. Left alone, this initial shock will quickly dissipate on its own. Yet it is unlikely that we will naturally be willing to allow it to do so. Rather, it is more likely that there will be some level of internal rejection, disgust and dialogue, however small. Ugh, we might think. So annoying.
Mindful listening: Sound as energy
At the risk of belaboring this simple idea, let’s recall last week’s lesson. Like all of our internal activity, the initial shock of the sound is, at its heart, just energy. The mental activity represents the creation of a wall which prohibits the sound from passing through us. The energy could be gone, but we have not allowed it to do so. While this is not the end of the world, there are ramifications. Once again I refer to the words of Michael Singer.
“This is how the overall system of perception is meant to work. It’s meant to take things in, allow you to experience them, and then let them pass through you so you’re fully present for the next moment.” Notice what is implied here. Any inner dialogue, big or small, positive or negative, has the same effect. It creates a blockage. Specifically, it prohibits you from staying present in the next moment. This sort of imaginative and emotive activity is one of the biggest culprits that keeps us from turning to and benefitting from our practice. “It’s an unfinished energy pattern that ends up running your life.”
The solution is simple in premise, yet takes some time and practice to master. “You don’t fight the mind. In fact, you don’t even try to change it. You just make a game out of relaxing in the face of melodrama.”
Choose undisturbed clarity
Perhaps an analogy to a stereo and speakers can help to enlighten this discussion. If the speakers are blocked or muffled then the sound is distorted. Additionally, a vibrational disturbance is created. So if we can learn to encourage and allow for the unblocked passage of sound then our own internal vibrational disturbance can be avoided. Of equal importance, we can learn to maintain a more present and authentic version of what life is offering to us. Unblocked, high quality speakers produce richer, resonate sound. Similarly, we can experience an enhanced emotional resonance with the world and the symphony of life.
So let’s keep it short and simple today. Give mindful listening a try and see if you can permanently incorporate it into your day to day activities. As you do so, recall these words from Singer, “All you have to do is notice who it is that feels (the negative energy.) The one who notices is already free. If you want to be free of those energies, you must allow them to pass through you instead of hiding them inside of you.” In the case of this practice, abrupt and disturbing sounds are the energy. Relax in front of them. Let them pass through you. Make a game out of it and simply notice, without judgment, whatever else arises as you do so.
I have found this mindful listening practice to be endlessly useful and informative for a variety of reasons. We will dig into all of that in more detail in a coming lesson. In the meantime, remember that every moment is an opportunity for growth. If nothing else, you can see how sound recognition can become the string tied around the finger that regularly reminds you to turn to practice.
Explore more
As mentioned earlier, mindful listening can come in many forms. It doesn’t have to be all about processing negative energy. In an article on Radio Art, Giota Eftaxia notes, “Especially during the period of Romanticism (1798-1837), the prevailing opinion was that nature is the mirror of soul.” There are many articles espousing the benefits of the sounds of nature. Feel free to visit this article on Medicinal Media if you are interested in discovering more.
Questions or feedback? Contact me directly.
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