As soon as one walks into Everett Crowley park its hard not to notice the symphony of bird songs. One day in late May when sitting in the microsite, birds sounded louder and their songs drew my attention more than they had before. Different bird songs sounded even more different. The changes in pitch and tone became more acute. Listening to bird songs became my meditation for that day.

The following meditation can be done anywhere. Traffic noise can be a listening meditation. I originally wanted to post a audio guided meditation made with a recording from the park. The audio quality is not very good so I have posted a 4 minute audio recording from my microsite at Everett Crowley Park to give you an idea of what you will hear in the park. I encourage everyone to go to the park and experience them live. There are also many great recordings of nature sounds on youtube which can be used for a meditation at home.

Time: 7-15 minutes

Instructions:

• Find a comfortable position, sitting or lying down.
• Take a few deep breaths
• Listen to the sounds around you. What draws your attention the most? Bird songs? Crickets? Leaves rustling in the wind? Flowing water? Traffic noise?
• Try to focus on 1 or 2 particular sounds.
• Don’t try to analyze the details of the sound but focus more on the experience of hearing it. If details pop out for you then make mental note of them.
• Notice sounds arise and disappear. Notice any emotions or judgment toward the sound you focus on. Does the mind perceive them as good or bad?
• When the mind wanders simply notice it and gently bring it back to hearing that sound.

Some sounds at Everett Crowley Park, June 2015: