Struggling with mindfulness? Try soundwalking
I have recently discovered (or rather, rediscovered) soundwalking. Oddly enough, sound walking featured quite prominently in my PhD, and perhaps because of that, I had all but erased it from memory.
Soundwalking basically involves going for a walk, in silence, and actively listening to the sounds around you — but without seeking to identify the source of the sounds. It’s a great way to incorporate a bit of mindfulness into activities you would be doing anyway, such as walking the dog, commuting to work, or fetching your shopping. For me this is significant as I am terrible at making time for activities which seem unproductive (in the capitalist sense of the word).
Why soundwalk?
This simple activity of walking, listening and soundmaking, invariably has the effect of not only re-grounding people in their community but also inspiring them about it, about creating a more balanced life between the global attraction of the computer and the local contact and touch with live human beings and reality. (Westerkamp, 2011)
Traditionally sound walks were a tool used by acoustic ecologists and ecomusicologists to explore the relationship between human beings and the sound environment, although, more recently, their obvious association with mindfulness and meditation has brought them to a more mainstream audience. In case the term ‘mindful’ triggers your gag reflex ever so slightly, I will extol the benefits of the soundwalk from a slightly different angle.
As an undergrad I would spend hours manipulating recordings of mundane sounds, at the level of individual samples, to create a type of electroacoustic music known as musique concrète. Think of musique concrète as an abstract sonic collage made up fragments of acousmatic sound (i.e. sound with no visual source). The term ‘acousmatic’ is said to have originated with Pythoagoras who would lecture his students from behind a curtain so they would be better able to focus on his words.* Taken a stage further, to the point where the sound is completely disassociated from its source, we arrive at what the French composer Pierre Schaeffer referred to as ‘reduced listening’. This is where the listener focuses on the traits of sounds, independent of their cause or meaning.
While the relationship between physical environment and health is still relatively under-explored, the soundwalking experiments I conducted during my PhD convinced me that the combination of soundwalking and reduced listening could lead to more positive perceptions of the sound environment, which might in turn benefit health and well-being. It’s a theory, but one I recommend putting to the test, particularly if you find sitting still a challenge.
How to sound walk
Here are my tips for soundwalking:
- Imagine yourself fully immersed in a 3-dimensional work of sonic art. This is a once in a lifetime performance which no other living thing, past or present, will ever experience with you.
- Notice the textures, rhythms and variation in the sounds around you. You can be your own mix engineer, tilting your head or reorienting your body to optimise the listening experience. You’ll be surprised at the variety of sounds in the most ordinary of places. You may find yourself feeling relaxed or aroused in unlikely locations.
- Allow your thoughts and emotions to surface like bubbles while you remain immersed in the sonic soup. You can observe those thoughts and feelings as they linger for a moment or two before melting away, or floating into the branches of a nearby tree.
A virtual soundwalk for your virtual commute?
I was recently reminded of the pleasure and benefits of sound walking when I read that Microsoft has introduced the concept of a ‘virtual commute’ which workers will soon be able to schedule from Microsoft Teams. This prompted me to crack open my binaural microphones which have been festering in a box for about 7 years and start capturing soundwalks in digital form.
I’ll be sharing my virtual soundwalks on podbean. They will each last around 10 mins and should be listened to on headphones. You can get the first one here:
If you’re unsure whether soundwalking is for you, why not give the virtual soundwalk a go.
* Based on my recent experiences lecturing students from behind layers of cloth and perspex, I am inclined to doubt the authenticity of this story, but hey, maybe Pythagoras had a more enthralling voice than I do.
Westerkamp, H. (2011). Exploring balance & focus in acoustic ecology. The Journal of Acoustic Ecology 11 (1): 7–13.