As I sat down to finish this paper tonight, I had worked a full day at my busy job, swung by the post office, heated up left overs, opened my computer while grabbing a few bites and decided to listen to a podcast while I was getting settled, eating and beginning to write! My earbuds, though connected, would not play the audio of the podcast so I tested the audio on my playlist called “chants.” The audio worked fine with my chants and immediately, I stopped the crazy multi-tasking I was not born to do. I closed the computer, listened to the chants and ate my food. I slowed down, feeling the descending speed of chewing, tasting my food, noticing my digestive system saying, “thank you!.” When my mind started to re-discuss past conversations of the day or what I wanted to add to this paper, I was able to hear the chatter and make a choice to listen to the sounds of the chants and accompanying music. While not singularly immersed in the the sound meditation since I
was eating too, this is a personal example of the power of sound and the impact it can have on our consciousness and subsequent health.
Listening