How to do it | takes 3-7 minutes
Listen Up! Audio
Listen Up! Text
Step 1: Find a place with natural sounds: Bird song, wind or moving water.
Step 2: Let your body relax.
Step 3: Notice the sounds in six directions: to your left and right, front and back, up and down (some people prefer to close their eyes).
Step 4: Now that your ears are turned on, let’s make a sound map. Notice where the quiet areas are. Now notice where the noisy areas are. Imagine the landscape as a sound-map in your mind. A soundscape!
Step 5: Sound is present in the landscape for a reason. Ask yourself why some places on your sound-map are quiet and others louder. For example, the trees are noisy because they are high enough to catch the wind, there is a road behind you and the traffic is busy, the sports field area is quiet because nobody is playing.
Stay with the sounds as long as you like but aim between 3 -7 minutes.
How will it make you feel?
Getting to know and connecting with your place is proven to increase your wellbeing, vitality and life satisfaction. Tuning into nature sounds (as opposed to other sounds) will decrease your stress levels and restore your attention and focus.
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