“There’s a lot of difference between listening and hearing.”
~ G. K. Chesterton

Tune in to the world around you by intentionally opening each of your senses and your body as a whole. You might begin by finding a comfortable standing or sitting position and simply bringing your attention to each of your senses, expressing silent or spoken gratitude for the extraordinary capacity of each sense. Once you’ve tuned in to each sense, consider how you can listen beyond your sense of hearing. Imagine that you are listening while you see, smell, taste, and touch. How does this change your experience? 

You might further deepen your practice by imagining your body as an antenna: How does it feel when your whole body listens? How might your breath contribute to this capacity? You could also explore how your experience of tuning in changes with different physical postures. How are you enlivened when you expand the ways in which you physically listen? 

Deepening the Practice

In this fascinating Scientific American article, Making Sense of the World Many Senses at a Time, we’re invited to consider the complex ways our senses are intertwined with one another — the many ways we hear the world with more than just our ears.

Should you be inspired, please leave a reflection below…