With our regular columnist, local musician, Dr Michael Whiticker
THERE are different sorts of meditation. Yet, in all cases the outcome desired is the quietening of the mind, and through that, bringing yourself into closer contact with your inner being. Ultimately it is about simply being present or aware without the mind’s constant thoughts bombarding you.
Fortunately, there are many paths that might be taken to initiate that peaceful state. Some use simple breath awareness or body sensing techniques – begin by sensing your toes… Chanting and visualizations – imagine a cloud filled sky…, are also popular methods.
Being a musician, sound meditation works for me. Giving attention to the sounds being created around you comes as a major part of the musician’s experience. An ideal place to start a sound meditation is in nature. I am especially lucky in this regard as I have access to a rainforest and waterfall park only minutes from my abode. In this natural environment, dependent on the time of day, I am surrounded by all manner of bird and insect life. And the auditory space is three dimensional – one perceives the direction and distance of the sounds being produced as well as the size and character of the surrounding environment. The constant at the bottom of my park is the water in the falls and creek, plummeting over rocks, rushing over fallen timbers and gurgling through time-worn holes or bubbling around frothy swells at the waterhole edges. Giving my attention to listening in this space and letting my thought patterns fall away is relatively easy. Thinking comes back – of course it does, but I gently return to the sounds in this moment.
A further challenge however, while absorbed in this sound space with one half of my attention, is to have the other half focused and aware of the total environment – the breeze, smells, and nearby living things. Some of us might even be aware of a spiritual connection with place. This will add another level of experience and perhaps understanding to the moment.
If you find being in nature provides too many sources and takes your attention away from the task in hand, you might like to start with the soothing sounds of a simple headphone meditation. There are numerous audio files available for download online. I’d recommend starting with binaural beats and theta waves. They work for most people. Ultimately we are all different and there is no “one way” to find a connection with your inner being through sound meditation, but as there is so much to be gained, do give it a go, and you don’t even need to be musically inclined to try!
