Listening to Nature

The sounds which surround us have power.

A hearing person will constantly sense and respond to sound. Take a moment to pause and consider your acoustic environment right now; close your eyes for just 5 seconds and really listen deeply. Delve into the layers of sound.  Your brain and body will be reacting to the tones and melodies that surround you at any given moment. Sensing and responding. A lot of this is subconscious but it is happening nonetheless.

Consider the sound of thunder rolling in, waves crashing, owls hooting, rain falling upon canvas, blackbirds singing at dusk. Notice your own response to these suggestions. Now imagine the sound of car engines humming, traffic lights beeping, phones buzzing, fires crackling, distant murmuring conversations, spoons clinking. Human-made spaces will sound very different from natural spaces. That’s not to say that one is good and one is bad. Each person’s response to each sound will be influenced by their own lived experiences, memories, associations and projections.

So, it is not my place to tell you that nature sounds are always relaxing. There are many scary and unnerving sounds within nature and a comforting sound for me may be an unsettling sound for you. But you will certainly recognise that there are some sounds in your lived environment that set your teeth on edge (e.g. nails on a chalkboard). There will also be sounds that have the opposite effect…sounds that relax you; allow the jaw to soften, the teeth to unclench, and the body to release tension.

For many people nature soundscapes are soothing and can be used to help shift the nervous system towards a relaxation response. But we need to be specific. When using soundscapes let's get curious about which particular environments feel good. We have so many possibilities in the natural world - rugged coastlines, sheltered coves, sandy riverbanks, ancient forests, tropical jungles, fields and meadows, windswept heath land, underwater caves, sand dunes, open skies, secluded coves... the list goes on. Each creates a unique and shifting sonic landscape, varying with time of day, season, weather patterns and region. 

Take a moment to consider the perfect aural scene. Conjure in your mind’s eye a space which soothes you. It may be a place you are familiar with, have visited, or know from your past. It may exist only in your imagination. Now close your eyes and listen in. Build the soundscape into your imaginary experience. Take your time. Dive into the detail. The sound of a tinkling stream versus a raging river, woodland on a hot sulking summer’s day versus treetops in a storm. Waves upon a shoreline can be softly lapping and rhythmic, or irregular, booming and crashing against a jetty. Consider the differences between a fine mist dampening the acoustics and a torrential downpour falling upon sodden ground.

Is it possible to broaden your senses and tune into the rich sounds of nature more deeply? To notice the subtle layers? To immerse yourself?

You are not necessarily trying to ‘empty’ your mind or silence your thoughts. Just get curious. What can you hear? An open window or a park bench may provide real-time listening opportunities. Consider bringing the sounds of nature indoors with resources such as Radio Lento’s free recordings from all over the UK (including several in Shropshire). They also have a British woodlands 24/7 stream. The Knepp rewilding project in Sussex has a similar offering, providing live audio feed from the unique ecosystem near a beaver dam. The Merlin Bird ID App from Cornell university can help identify birdsong in your area, as you listen. There are undoubtedly many other excellent free resources that deserve our attention and support (please comment and share if you know of any!)

So.... Pause. Take a moment, listen in, and create an acoustic hug for yourself.