Listening as a Practice

We usually think of listening as something that happens between people. I have come to think of it as a practice in its own right, one that sound work trains without ever announcing it.

In a sound session, you listen to something that asks nothing of you. No reply is needed, and no opinion is required. That is a rare kind of listening, and I believe it strengthens the everyday kind.

I notice it in myself. Time with the bowls has made me slower to interrupt and quicker to hear what sits underneath someone's words. Listening to pure tone seems to tune the ear for everything else.

I think listening is also how we honor each other. Being heard is one of the deepest forms of respect we can offer, and one of the rarest. Anything that makes us better listeners makes us better community members too.

As I reflect on it, the practice is simple enough to begin today. Pause, and actually hear the next sound that reaches you. If you want a room built for it, my sound sessions and group sound meditations are waiting.

How does sound meditation improve listening?

It gives your attention one gentle thing to follow for an extended time, which is exactly the muscle listening uses. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health describes meditation as training in attention, and sound is a welcoming way to do that training.

Is this a spiritual practice?

It can be, and it does not have to be. People arrive with all kinds of beliefs and none at all. The sound meets everyone the same way.

Where can I try it?

Private sound sessions are 90 minutes at the Empower House Community Gathering Space in North Phoenix, Arizona, and group sound meditations are listed on my events page.

If you'd like more info, feel free to call me at 623-986-3987.

Warmly, Water Shepherd