Stressed by the 'always on' culture of the internet age, many people these days are searching for ways to restore balance and harmony to their lives. One of the simplest ways of achieving this is by listening to the beautiful sounds of the natural environment. Calming ocean sounds and similar 'music' from nature have a superbly soothing effect on those who are frazzled and overwhelmed, and provide an easy way to tune out the chaos of modern life.
One common use for these recordings is as a background to practices like yoga and meditation. These activities are becoming massively popular as people are looking for ways to re-gain some peace of mind. Many people are also discovering how much nature's sounds can aid their practice.
With meditation for example, practitioners aim to train their minds such that there is a slowing down of thought and a reduction in 'mind chatter'. This can prove extremely difficult as the stresses of the day churn up one's emotions and mental space. Natural sounds help one to relax and thus reach a calm state of mind that much more easily.
Similarly with yoga, stress and mental anguish can get in the way of the focus needed to perform it well. Relaxation helps practitioners perform each pose with greater depth and calmness of mind, thus enriching their experience. They are able to get more out of each session and reap the benefits of this ancient practise that much more quickly and easily.
These effects are no surprise since numerous scientific studies have shown that natural sounds like birdsong can help people recover from stress. Science aside, common sense tells us that since we are a product of the natural world, we will find it's sounds calming and restorative. There is something very primal about our response to nature's music, and something quite subtle yet profound about the effect it has on our psyche.
This is perhaps seen most markedly in its effects on small children. There's something about the sounds of the natural world that connects with children at a very deep level. Babies can often be calmed beautifully by natural sounds when everything else has failed. A child put to bed in a room with birdsong or similar playing softly in the background will often drift off to sleep quickly and easily.
Adults too use these recordings as an aid to sleep. Many find that they fall asleep faster and experience sounder sleep when they have relaxing nature sounds playing in their environment. Even when it isn't bedtime, many people use these sounds to create a more relaxing ambiance. A recording of a meadow in springtime for example can create a comforting background that blots out the modern world and restores tranquillity.
A tranquil environment can also be of tremendous help for students of all ages. When the time comes to concentrate, having nature's music playing in the background can be a boon to focus and clear thinking. Many studies have shown that a relaxed brain is far better primed to learn than one that is not. Relaxed, focused students learn more effectively, and are also able to retain what they learn better than those who are not.
One common use for these recordings is as a background to practices like yoga and meditation. These activities are becoming massively popular as people are looking for ways to re-gain some peace of mind. Many people are also discovering how much nature's sounds can aid their practice.
With meditation for example, practitioners aim to train their minds such that there is a slowing down of thought and a reduction in 'mind chatter'. This can prove extremely difficult as the stresses of the day churn up one's emotions and mental space. Natural sounds help one to relax and thus reach a calm state of mind that much more easily.
Similarly with yoga, stress and mental anguish can get in the way of the focus needed to perform it well. Relaxation helps practitioners perform each pose with greater depth and calmness of mind, thus enriching their experience. They are able to get more out of each session and reap the benefits of this ancient practise that much more quickly and easily.
These effects are no surprise since numerous scientific studies have shown that natural sounds like birdsong can help people recover from stress. Science aside, common sense tells us that since we are a product of the natural world, we will find it's sounds calming and restorative. There is something very primal about our response to nature's music, and something quite subtle yet profound about the effect it has on our psyche.
This is perhaps seen most markedly in its effects on small children. There's something about the sounds of the natural world that connects with children at a very deep level. Babies can often be calmed beautifully by natural sounds when everything else has failed. A child put to bed in a room with birdsong or similar playing softly in the background will often drift off to sleep quickly and easily.
Adults too use these recordings as an aid to sleep. Many find that they fall asleep faster and experience sounder sleep when they have relaxing nature sounds playing in their environment. Even when it isn't bedtime, many people use these sounds to create a more relaxing ambiance. A recording of a meadow in springtime for example can create a comforting background that blots out the modern world and restores tranquillity.
A tranquil environment can also be of tremendous help for students of all ages. When the time comes to concentrate, having nature's music playing in the background can be a boon to focus and clear thinking. Many studies have shown that a relaxed brain is far better primed to learn than one that is not. Relaxed, focused students learn more effectively, and are also able to retain what they learn better than those who are not.
