You all know about the familiar sounds that we live with everyday. The sounds that make us feel comfortable as well as the sounds that worry us or even scare us away.

We grew up with those sounds, they are part of our lives and those sounds are encrypted into our unconscious mind.

Having lived in France in a small village, when I hear the sound of the Rooster in the morning I feel that life is in place, the same when I hear the church bell ring every hour which reminds me of what time it is during the day.

I imagine that if you grew up in a big city you are probably familiar with the sound of trucks, cars, honking, sirens and people chatting, talking loud or even partying in the streets.

And if you have lived or live in New York you will probably be acquainted to those heavy siren sounds and heavy traffic or the churning of a police car on the run.

We live in a world of sounds, whether they are calming, reassuring or threatening, whether they imply positive or negative thoughts, even sometimes they can make you feel angry or nervous or irritated, at the end of the day, have you ever asked yourself the following question:

“What if those familiar sounds disappeared?”

How would I feel? Would I feel more relaxed or would I be more anxious?

It is interesting to ask yourself the question!

To me these sounds are grounding because they are part of our everyday life, we live with them, they plant the scenery of our life and in my morning meditations they represent a great way of living the present moment, of telling myself that everything is fine because of those sounds. They mean that I am alive!

 

And if you go to Asia, more particularly in Cambodia where I have the privilege to go every year, I wake up to the sounds of the Buddhist Monks chanting and praying! That is the best way of waking up for me. They make me feel secure, at home and warm. As if they were here to protect me every day.

 

Next time you wake up and the weather is fine enough to go outside, sit on your balcony or in a park or somewhere in the country and start a meditation practice with those sounds, take them as they come, the challenge will be to receive and welcome even the screaming siren and the ambulance. It will tell you how you perceive the world, and maybe to change the way you perceive those sounds will offer you the chance to start a process of transformation, and to alter your perception of the world and others.