Mindfulness

For birds and animals, there is only the moment.

Which makes nature the perfect focus for mindful meditation. Conventional meditation practice usually teaches us to return awareness to the sensations of the breath. But listening can be just as beneficial.

Indeed, you may find it quite powerful, especially if you are keenly attuned to sound. Also, focusing on life other than yourself can allay the expectations and judgements we often put on ourselves in meditation.

Find a quiet time, and listen at a naturally realistic volume. Lightweight headphones may be a good option. Gently allow your attention to extend out into what you're hearing. Nature's sounds are restful, but also alive and vital. They will both calm you, and offer you infinite subtle and delicate sounds to listen to.

Perhaps you may think of your meditation as 'hearing your place in the world'.

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A Wetland Restored

Waterfowl and bush birdsong has returned to Lake Gladstone in the Kimberley region of Australia's far north

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The River Forest

Gentle morning birdsong and frogcalls from the river red gum forests of the Murray river

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The Dancing Brolgas of Ooroolanie

Brolgas call among a fantastic diversity of birdlife attracted to an ephemeral wetland in the Australian outback

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Khao Yai Rainforest

Occasional birdsong and a susuration of soft insects filters through the rainforest canopy of Khao Yai

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Echoes from the Ancient Forest

by Izabela Dluzyk. A sound journey to one of the last virgin forests of Europe – the Bialowieza forest in Poland.

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The Last Wild Island - Tetepare

Primary rainforest echoes with rare and endemic birdsong on the tropical island of Tetepare

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Bialowieza II - Riverine Scenes

by Geoff Sample. The second of two albums of deep forest birdsong, mellifluous and distinctively European, from the Bialowieza Forest in Poland.

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Bialowieza I - Stara Twilight

by Geoff Sample. Deep forest birdsong, timeless and distinctively European, from the Bialowieza Forest in Poland.

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Equatorial Africa - The Forests of Arusha

Colobus monkeys and exotic birdsong are heard in the equatorial forests of Africa's Mt. Meru

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Pacific Rainforest - Vanuatu

The mellow whistles of Shrikebills and other rare birdsong blends with the murmur of Fruit Doves and distant wave wash in an island rainforest

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Summer Thunderstorm

Thunder rolls around the sky, as afternoon storms gather overhead and rain gently falls

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Les Suetes

by Mark Brennan. Summer season birdsong and the sigh of boreal winds, heard in a Canadian lake shore forest.

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Redwoods

Discover California's famous Redwood groves in a way few get to experience.

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Dawnsong of Tuis

The beautiful, ringing tones of the Tui echo through a towering New Zealand forest

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Coral Beach

Gentle waves wash ashore on a tropical island, with coral fragments tinkling in the backwash.

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Cloudforest - Malaysia

A gentle album, featuring the abundance of life found in Malaysia's mountain forests.

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Time for the Tarkine

Free Download Album. A listening journey into the Tarkine - the largest temperate rainforest in the Southern hemisphere.

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Peskowesk

by Mark Brennan. Journey deep into the wild forests, lakes and rivers of NE Canada's Kejimkujik National Park.

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Five Natural Pieces

by Veljo Runnel. Five soundscapes from Estonia, meditations on time and space in nature.

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The Monarchs of Tetepare

An ethereal choir of White-capped Monarchs sing serenely in the predawn on Tetepare Island.

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Taiga - Europe's Boreal Wilderness

Delicate birdsong and the distant murmur of wind and water drift across an elemental landscape.

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The First Week of Spring

Delicate birdsong fills a woodland in the first days of a European spring

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Oak Wood

The songs of Robins, Blackbird and Wood Pigeon are heard in a British old-growth Oak forest.

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Birch Wood

The melodious song of a Blackcap fills the summer air in a Swedish birch woodland.

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Echoes in a Secret Gorge

The sounds of ibex, snowcock, owls, swifts, choughs and sheep bells echo around a deep, hidden gorge in the Taurus Mountains in Turkey.

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Frankincense Forest

Birdsong fills the scented air of an ancient grove of Frankincense trees.

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Cheery Bulbuls!

The delightful and cheerful songs of Bulbuls from the woodlands and forests of India.

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Where the Jungle meets the Sea

Tropical island birdsong with the wash of waves on a coral shell beach.

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Meditation at Pine Lake

The haunting calls of ducks, geese and swans carry over an ephemeral lake by night.

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Tropical Queensland Rainforest

Three soundscapes from the world heritage tropical rainforests of North Queensland.

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