An Aural Cleanse: Part 1

The hum of our bodies is constant. And the rates of frequency and vibration vary from organ to organ, muscle, bone, tissue…We are truly an ongoing symphony. I have always been someone who is sensitive to sound.

We all need periods of aural detox. Where we are cleansing our auditory centers and thus our brain, body, and nervous system from the general noise that we take in throughout the day. Depending on where you live, that can be a lot or very little. It’s funny, we take showers to clean our body, do cleanses for our digestion/gut, and now there is such thing as a media detox. But what about a sound cleanse/aural hygiene? What would that look like? In the next series of posts I will chat about a few different ways we can nurture and support our ears; inner and outer and use conscious listening as a way to relax our nervous system and calm and ground ourselves.

As you go about your day, take note of the sounds in your environments; from the natural to the mechanical. Are there constant hums of machinery? Is there intermittent sounds of birds or cars, leaves rustling or bangs and slams? Notice what you are passively taking in through your ears that you may not realize; have become so familiar with as it actually turns into a different kind of silence. As you do this throughout your day and week, notice how your body responds to these sounds. Are they comforting? Agitating? Neutral? Do different parts of your body respond to different kinds of sounds and noises? In pleasure? Contracting? Do certain sounds pull you out of your moment, distract you? As you explore and get more curious, allow yourself to connect with your breathing, not changing it, but noticing it, and the sounds from your breathing. See if you can allow this shift in listening to expand and center you. You still hear and listen to the sounds in your environment but the sounds from your breathing are heard and tracked first.

Can you recognize the intimacy between your ears and your breathing? As you listen…listen underneath your breathing. Inside your breathing. Listen to everything that surrounds the shape of your breath. Is it silent? Other sounds?

Thank your ears for all the work they do and all that they offer through their purpose. They keep you safe, they bring joys and pleasures as well as warnings and cautions.