The one thing I more passionate about than anything else is helping others discover the infinite amount of strength, inspiration, resilience and healing that is available from within. In a world where it feels like we're constantly being bamboozled, sold to and misled, I think it's more important than ever to be able to look inwards and gaze at our own moral compass. Does this feel right? Does it look right? Does the outcome of this align with what I want to see in the world?
Sound cuts through the noise in our lives. Literally. And all of us benefit from being able to unplug, even if it's for as little as 10-15 minutes. We know that stimulating the Vagus Nerve, which connects our inner ear and brain to all of our major organs, slows our breath, lowers our heart rate and reduces blood pressure. And we also know of the role that sound plays when stimulating the Vagus Nerve. We have all experienced the sound of a march calling us to attention and the relentless beats we hear in a gym urging us onwards and we also have experienced slower, lower tones to relax us.
But we don't all have access to crystals bowls and metre-wide gongs so how can anyone incorporate these principles into their day-to-day lives?
Mornings
Waking up
The most powerful and insightful time of the day is when we wake up. I'm definitely not a natural morning person, but I know that my brain is 100% charged at this point. A question I like to ask myself when I wake up, is "how do I want to live my life today?" It's ambiguous. It's not a To Do List. Everyday we get up and do "stuff". I don't want to just do stuff because it's there to be done. I want to learn something about myself or make something more rewarding. It could be something really uninteresting. I have literally stood in a shower and practiced "I am going to wash myself in a way where I feel like I am taking care of myself." And then I have washed myself noticing how carefully I can wash myself and then I notice myself as the washed in how much care I am receiving. This isn't anything new. Thich Nhat Hanh spoke about this very exercise in his book "The Art of Living".
Lives rarely change through some devine piece of luck, but they absolutely will change through changing as much as you can 2%. It's not about big changes. It's about lots of little changes. And that first 5 minutes or so of the day as you're waking up, is an opportunity to ask yourself how you want to live your life today. It could be going for a walk at lunch, getting up and completing a workout, or just forgiving yourself if you're 10 minutes late for something. Although this might not seem like it has anything to do with sound therapy, it is in fact a key concept, which you can use to make real change, every day.
Washing is grounding
It doesn't have to be a new routine though. The sound of water is a very grounding sound. It's why I use rainsticks at the end of a soundbath. It calls our attention to the moment. If you start your day with a shower, this is an opportunity to ground yourself. Whenever you feel you're mind wandering about all the stuff you're going to do, call it back to the sound of the water. Notice how it's cleansing you, caring for you, renewing you. Invite those positive intentions into the sound and motion of the water.
Traffic
I have to occasionally travel into Southampton for work. We have a council who relentlessly dig up the roads for months on end without any real improvement ever seeming to be made. It makes people super grumpy on the roads. We forget that there is another person in every car that has their own sh*t to deal with in their lives. So I imagine that the roads are rivers and all the cars are leaves floating on through it. It doesn't really matter the order that the leaves arrive. No one is going to get a medal for coming first. And each time the traffic stops, it's just a time to notice that I have stopped to fully appreciate my amazing taste in music that is playing. :D
Lunchtimes
Get out
These are reset points. If I'm at home, I will absolutely definitely go for a walk every lunch. It's one of the reasons why we got a dog 3 years ago. She makes me go for a walk in the unlikely event I don't feel like going for one. Getting outside makes things so much easier to reset wherever you are. Notice the sounds around you. Notice the sights, smells, textures, colours, effects on your experience of living in that moment.
Sometimes, I try to think of a walk like I'm taking a video of it. Would interesting things can I find along the way? Where is the joy in my surroundings?
That can sometimes be much more challenging when I'm in an office. I always find that has the most detrimental impact on my health. I have shorter lunches. I'm later leaving. Everything around me seems to make it harder to disconnect. I have learnt to be more rigid with going outside when I'm in an office. Even in the hubbub of a city centre; there is a lot of sensory stimulation there; a heck load of noise, smell and energy to deal with, but even a short walk outside is a chance to recognise what about that experience creates the resistance inside of you. It's a chance to realise that those sights, smells, sounds and energy is outside of you. The only reason you've noticed it is because inside, you are calm, you are clean, you are peaceful. Remember what is outside, stays outside. Allow it to exist, but understand that the stillness, cleanliness and strength within you has superiority.
Reset
Throughout your day, there are opportunities to reset: It can be while you're waiting for a kettle to boil. It can be just shifting your eyesight away to the distance and back to the foreground again a few times (this is a good eye exercise in general! :) ). It could be listening to a 10 minute track to help you reset. It could be a chance to complete a couple of rounds of sun salutations. It could be a breath exercise.
I think the tip here is to recognise where you feel you need to reset.
If it's a physical reset needed, then try a movement meditation such as a sun salutation.
If it's a mental reset required, then you to optimally allow 15 minutes. You may already feel your mind wandering or unable to concentrate. Try going for a walk or a breath meditation or just playing with something simple and totally unconnected with what you were doing- anything that allows your brain to drop into a Theta (daydreaming) state for 15 minutes and you should feel mentally better afterwards.
If it's an emotional reset, then time is not really something to consider, as it depends, but a breathing exercise is going to be a good way to reset, find your inner peace and stillness, notice how you feel when you extend your exhale longer than your inhale. Notice the ground beneath you. Notice what is outside of you and what is within you. Recognise the stillness and peace and space inside of you has superiority over everything else external to you.
Evenings
Routine
I could write a whole article on sleep, so I'm going to keep this brief. The secret to a good night is to have a consistent routine. My primary meditation time is towards the end of the day because that's when I stop, things tend to bubble up. So I try to take micro-resets as I outlined above throughout the day and then use a longer evening meditation to explore that stillness further.
A longer meditation for some could be an hour, but for me, it's usually 15-25 minutes. It's better to recharge for however long you have and if that's only 5 or 10 minutes some days, it's still better than nothing, is the way I look at it. But the more you feel you are being pushed, the more you need to push back. And I know that's easier said than done. I've struggled my whole life with routine and letting go of stuff at the end of the day, but I've learnt that there will always be sh*t to do, and I feel more benefit the stricter I am with the practice.
If you're new to meditation or it's something you've really struggled with, this is where sound can prove especially helpful.
It could be sitting and observing your breath with a general ambient relaxation is playing quietly in the background.
It could be listening to the sound of a himalayan bowl or crystal pyramid ring out after striking it gently with a mallet.
It could be practicing an affirmation such as saying "May I be happy. May I be loving. May I be healthy. May I be peaceful." on each exhale for a few minutes.
Or it could be using mala beads to repeat a mantra as you pass each bead through your fingers until you get back round to the biggest bead at the start.
Whichever method you choose, notice the sound wash over you and/or within you. Notice the resonance it created within and breathe that goodness in, like a flower opening to the sunshine.
Sound Sanctuaries
Something that will aid your ability to reset is to create a space where you can reset. Really value this space. I have a room where I meditate and offer 1-2-1 treatments. I keep it as immaculate as I possibly can. No arguments take place there. No pets are allowed there. I regularly cleanse it with incense. It is my chapel, in effect but I don't associate any religion with it. I keep it hollow in that respect. I think of it as being part of the universe, rather than my house. I imagine it connected to the centre of the earth and to the top of the milky way. And that might seem a bit woowoo for someone who continually bangs on about the science of sound therapy, but I have had people come into that space and just started smiling and feeling better just for stepping into it, without knowing any of the effort I go to, to make it feel special. I can't really explain it, but this is what I do to make it a sanctuary in case it helps someone else.
Summary
These are just a few ways that I like to keep myself on the straight-and-narrow, but in truth, there are many, many other ways that you could enhance your own self-care routines. I'd be really interested to hear what you find that helps you reset throughout the day? There are comments below so I'd love to hear from you and there could be someone else that reads this that in turn benefits from anything that you're doing differently to help yourself.
Comments