When we travel, our new location will be full of sounds that we are not used to. Using sound-based meditation, enables us to use these sounds to relax. Rather than unsettling, sound-based meditation will help us to make sounds, that would otherwise interrupt, become part of our meditation routine.

How Can Loud, Jarring Sounds Help Us Relax?

Whether it is the rhythmic sounds of the ocean, the strange sounds of a forest or the pulses and rhythms of a new city, every space has its own sounds. When you use sound-based meditation, you make use of the ebbs and flows that every sound has.

Think about the sounds of the ocean. There is the swish in, and then out again. The shrills and clicks of the forest come and go. Sound-based meditation is a way of making those noises that you cannot silence, part of your meditation practice.
As you pause and focus on the rhythm of an everyday sound, it can become an extension of the way that you would turn your attention to your breath, or a part of your body.

Why Use Sound-Based Meditation?

For some people it can be difficult to concentrate, relax or even sleep when they are on holiday, facing unusual noises. If you are one of them, instead of fighting a bad mood, insomnia or a continuous anxiety, embrace these sounds, pay attention to them. Let them become a part of your awareness and you will feel relaxed and energised. Here are some tips on how to practice a few minutes of sound-based meditation.

1. Close your eyes and take a long, deep breath.

As you inhale, pay attention to how your breath moves through your body. Notice how you feel each part of your body begin to loosen and relax. Starting with your neck, then on to your shoulders, down through your spinal cord, legs, then right down to your toes.

2. Keep inhaling deeply, with your mind still focused.

Listen to the sounds around you, notice the rhythm in the clicks and swooshes, eeks and tweets. Find the rhythm as you continue to inhale in and exhale out.

3. Notice the pattern that each sound has, as you continue to inhale and exhale.

Follow the pattern and continue to inhale and exhale deeply.

4. When you are ready, switch your focus back to your body.

Wiggle your toes, your fingers, stretch your arms forward and your legs out. In your own time, open your eyes.

This is an easy, simple way to use sound-based meditation to help you relax when you are travelling. And, most important, you don’t have to be an experienced mindfulness practitioner to succeed with it. You can try it also in the plane, if you are anxious or you cannot fall asleep during a long flight, by paying attention to the engine’s sounds.

SparkYourBloom Today And Everyday!