When Hearing Becomes Listening: Ayurveda & The Art of Living In Hormonal Balance
I am standing in a ring of great cottonwood trees. There is a gentle breeze, it is late summer here in Pacific Northwest. The leaves are coming to the end of their life cycle all dry, rough and ready to fall to the ground. I love this time of year, honestly. Both of my kids are late summer babes and this time of year reminds me of the long walks I used to take with them strapped to my belly—an effort to quiet their colicky cries and my anxious mind. This season and their early months will always be intertwined in my mind and heart.
As I walk now, I am often alone which is intended. It is my offering to myself, a time for communion and a curiosity as to what will show up. There are a few places I like to go that are pretty close in to Portland that drop me right in to the sensory experience I am hoping for. Ayurveda shares that our senses inform our perception which then create our reality. So when we immerse ourselves in settings that feed our senses (often natural settings) we are likely going to receive great benefit. Our nervous system settles, our immune system receives a boost, our digestion even calibrates and we will likely leave feeling different from when we arrived.
This day has caught me asking a question that has been coming to mind a lot recently. I pose it as a philosophical question, really. At my deepest heart there lives a poet and a philosopher slowly emerging as I give her more space to roam.
When does hearing becoming listening?
Amongst these dry leaves rattling about I ask this question. I begin to notice that as I sit here hearing the sounds of nature, the sounds change. The layers begin to open and I begin to hear a shift. The hearing becomes intentional, active, present and aware. And this changes the hearing for me. I have noticed that this is where the hearing becomes listening.
Listening is a wise gift. I think it to involve all the attributes of hearing plus other things. It is listening that escorts us to the well of intuition that lives within all of us. It is listening that opens our hearts and softens our gaze. It is listening that drops us in and with time and attention, it is listening that helps us to feel more regulated, more aligned and attuned. Two ears, one mouth…maybe we are meant to do double the listening to the talking? I am curious…
Listening that evolves through hearing is something that has continued to development in me as I age. In fact, it has been through my practices of yoga and daily practices of Ayurveda that planted the seeds so many years back. These sciences that are a living art, along with maturity and time, have taught me how to connect inward and to be more fully present. And this has budded a lot of muse. Musing around how we might best live in our own alignment and attunement given the world we live. How can we best utilize the wisdom of these ancient and brilliant sciences to help us navigate a changing globe, changing, communities and changing lives?
An important perspective shift, really.
I believe there is a lot there to think about, to lean into and to learn from. I am finding that when I pause to listen, clear choices and decisions begin to present themselves, like a gem studded pathway leading me to Right thought, Right feeling, Right action best for me. Do you find it true as well? I would love to hear and listen to what you experience too.