Listen... as part of your yoga practice

The sounds of that day are still vivid. And for months afterwards I couldn't hear anything even close to them without being transported right back to a frightening experience I once went through. It is over 20 years ago now, and while my reaction is much more neutral than it was, I can still feel it. 
 
Many more sounds have wonderful and positive associations, and some are utterly delightful. Certain music, bird song, beloved voices, laughter, the sizzling of delicious food.
 
Sound can be jarring, soothing, rhythmic, regulating, informative, stimulating, annoying, inflaming, desirable or undesirable... or absent.
 
There is always something to hear when you tune in.
 
Sometimes we might notice the silence. The gaps between the sounds.
 
We've worked with sound as a theme this term. The sounds of our breathing, the environment, our bodies, the chiming of the singing bowl. 
 
Sound can help us stay very present and connected to the immediacy of the moment, and at the same time, enable us to be aware of our relationship to it. We can find clues to our state of mind, to our mood or the level of relaxation or agitation of our nervous system.
 
Sounds can also help us notice the silence that is always around us that we overlook as we travel through our day. Pockets of quiet, here and there, constantly coming and going.
 
Noticing the silence is just as valuable as noticing the sounds. Noticing the gaps between sounds, the gaps between our thoughts. We overlook the silence and gravitate towards the noise. We fill the gaps with more sound in case it feels uncomfortable.
 
But being aware of these silent moments can be a useful practice, and can help us find a more grounded space within. Beneath our reactivity and before being taken over by our thoughts and memories, there remains an ever-present, quiet stillness that we can get connected to.
 
The practices of yoga help with this. We might glimpse it from time to time at first. Feel a sense of ease and openness, a quietening of reactions and mental noise, getting used to quiet moments, even though at first they are outside of our comfort zone.
 
The art of yoga is to keep re-connecting to your own, internal quiet space. At first in a controlled environment, like our lovely quiet yoga studio. But eventually we can connect to this quiet space, no matter what sounds are arising and no matter where we are.
 
Cultivate your own stable, quiet harbour deep within, even when life gets noisy.