The lessons adapted from Mindfulness: 25 Ways to live in the present moment through art by French psychiatrist, Christophe André, continue with a focus on listening, and the disposition of being a calm observer—the very core of mindfulness practice.
Lesson 3 Listen
Painting is not just for the eyes. Some pictures also whisper in our ears. Train in the countryside by Claude Monet (below) is a painting to listen to—and to look at, of course—but above all, to listen to.
We hear the cries of the children playing and their mothers telling them to calm down. There’s the gentle rustling of the wind in the leaves, bird song, and perhaps a dog or two barking in the distance.
Then suddenly, amid all this, we hear a strange and growing noise; ch-ch-ch, tidum-tidum-tidum … The sound of the steam locomotive gets louder and louder, making its presence felt, filling the space with its panting breath and the rumble of wheel on rail. Toot-toot! There goes the whistle that the driver blows, from joy or habit, as the train crosses the viaduct.
And then it all fades away again. The train vanishes. We can only just hear it in the distance. A moment longer and there’s nothing left at all. The sound has imperceptibly dwindled and dissolved. We are left with nothing but the memory of its passing. When did the sound of the train disappear exactly? How long did the whole thing take? How long was our mind held in thrall? These questions can reveal much about the way that our mind listens to life (or not).
Life goes on moment by moment, and gently the sounds of the children, mothers, wind and birds return to the forefront of our awareness, and maybe a dog or two still barking in the distance.
Hear, listen, think
When we hear, we adopt an attitude that is receptive, passive or rather non-interventionist. When we listen, our attention is aroused and deliberately directed to noisy sounds and our analysis of them.
Now our thoughts are engaged. We hear the sound of an ambulance, and at once we listen to it, giving it a meaning, sometimes unconsciously. We may think, for example, that there has been an accident, or that someone is very sick and we may feel compassion concern or sadness.
We hear footsteps in the flat upstairs. We listen a little more closely and try to recognise the sound of the movement. We may visualise a particular person. Sometimes we make a value judgment: we like or dislike the sound, we start thinking about all that it means. This production of thoughts based on noises and sound at once enriches and impoverishes us. The meaning that we give to sounds competes with our presence to the world.
As soon as we produce words, we tend to leave the experience of our senses behind. We are no longer in the world of sound, we’ve left it for our mental world. As with all our mind’s automatic reflexes, it is important to be aware of them, and make a regular effort to free ourselves of these reflexes—to be able to deliberately return to listening to life neutrally and receptively—to listening with mindfulness, which may gives us something unheard of something we’ve never heard because we were never really listening …
Notice sounds with serenity
Mindfulness is not relaxation, where we need quiet or silence. It is meditation, where we are trying to cultivate a calm relationship with the world. We can practice with noises all around us. Even if we would prefer things to be different, we must be able to do it.
In mindfulness meditation we often practice simply paying attention to the basic properties of sounds. Are they near or far, high or low, continuous or intermittent? Are there moments of silence, pauses? We strive to observe and notice their primary characteristics, to take them as they are.
Our mind will naturally seek to interpret and identify sounds; to judge them as nice or nasty, and link one thought to another—that reminds me of such and such. This is what the mind always does, judging and surrounding our experiences and sensations with chatter. The important thing is to be aware of it which allows us to better understand the workings of our mind. Working with sound means observing in ourselves the difference between sounds and their meanings, and then going back to simply listening, accepting sound as sound.
Source
The text of the lesson above is an edited extract from the book by Christophe André, Mindfulness: 25 Ways to live in the present moment through art (2014). Rider Books, Ebury Publishing.
OTHER LESSONS IN THE SERIES
Lesson 1 Breathe / Lesson 2 Inhabit Your Body
Mindfulness Meditation Exercises
Put the theory practice with the series of six mindfulness meditation exercises here on Jervis Bay Weekend / Wellbeing. These are simple, proven techniques we know are beneficial to wellbeing.
- Synchronise Mind and Body assists mind and body to be alert and aware and fully present in the moment—enabling us to make thoughtful choices, in real-time, about how we respond, what we say and how we act.
- Body Scan Technique useful in calming body and mind, especially before sleep.
- Spacious Mind Assists the mind to adopt an open, accepting, accommodating attitude—particularly helpful preparation for fraught conversations or situations.
- Circular Breathing Practice shown to improve cognitive clarity, and ease feeling emotionally stuck.
- Notice and Name Observing sensations in the body, emotions and thoughts with friendly curiosity, naming them, letting them go.
- Equanimity Technique enabling you to handle uncomfortable feelings and maintain mindful presence.
