Be Well Moment: A Listening Practice for Focus

What if one of the simplest ways to refocus your mind was already all around you? You just have to pause long enough to notice it.

Hey besties, welcome to your Be Well Moment. I’m Bailey, and today I am guiding us through a simple nature listening practice to help refocus our minds.

So many of us are moving through our days in a state of constant input and overstimulation. Our brains are working overtime trying to keep up, and that can make it really hard to concentrate or feel present.

In this short practice, we’re going to use the sounds of nature to gently reset our attention. This works because nature engages your brain in a softer, less demanding way, giving those overworked focus centers a chance to rest and recover.

When we give our brain even a few minutes to reset, we can come back feeling clearer, grounded and able to focus on what matters most. So wherever you are, let’s begin.

All right, you all. We have a soundscape nature practice today. I know it sounds very fancy. Really, I’m just going to play some nature sounds on my phone.

This actually can be really helpful because it’s accessible wherever we are. If we’re in the car right now, we can listen to this. If we are at work, if we live in an urban environment or we can’t get outside for whatever reason, it makes nature a bit more accessible. You can find hours and hours of nature-sound videos on the internet, so there are plenty of different things you can look into.

This particular soundscape is based on what I find to be very interesting research coming out of Australia on the intersection of blue and green spaces. We hear a lot about the importance of green spaces and bringing things like plants in, but there’s research being done on how maybe the best thing for our brains is where water and land collide. Think about the ocean, creeks, rivers and lakes. We’re kind of drawn to those spaces, and they’re showing themselves to be pretty beneficial for our brains, right?

[Participant] Bailey, the research nerd strikes again.

[Bailey] Yeah, always—in a gentle, hopefully fun way. I don’t know.

If you are in a space where it feels safe, you can watch the video, too, if you’re looking for more of a visual experience. But we’re just going to invite some soft focus here. We’re not straining or getting into that space of, “I have to pay attention to this thing.” It’s more about noticing what we notice. That’s the idea of soft focus: allowing our brain to focus on maybe even one sense, such as just sound or just visuals.

Okay, are you all ready?

[Participants] Ready.

Let’s do the thing.

Go ahead and settle into your seat wherever you are, and just notice your breath. Don’t try to change your inhales or exhales; just pay attention to them. This allows our brain to naturally orient to the moment a bit.

You’re welcome to close your eyes if you like, but you don’t have to.

Now we’re going to get into the actual nature sounds. Once you feel a bit more present, allow your attention to drift to the sounds of the waves meeting the shore.

See if you can allow your brain to relax into the repetition of each wave.

Without tightening your focus too much, see if you can notice when the sound changes—when waves roll out and when they roll back in again.

[Nature sounds]

If your brain wanders, that’s okay. Just gently welcome it back to the sound of the waves and see if you can go back to your soft focus.

Then see if you can soften your focus even further, relaxing into the sound.

[Nature sounds]

When you’re ready, start to gently bring your attention and focus back to this space. Maybe wiggle your fingers and your toes. Allow your brain to come back and orient.

As we always do, we’ll take some observations. What did you all notice during this nature-sound immersion?

[Participant] I had a really hard time focusing at first. My brain was like, “Oh God, you’re listening. Here are all the things you have to finish before you get to go home today.”

[Laughter]

[Participant] But as I settled in, it was really nice. I sleep to something very similar, so I got a little tired and sleepy. Just listening to the rhythm of the waves was so nice for my brain. I think that’s because nature is so predictable, right? The waves are going to keep crashing, the wind is going to keep blowing, and the birds are going to keep chirping. Our brains can anticipate that, and it feels safe.

[Participants] Yeah.

[Participant] I liked it, too. Our team just had an opportunity to support some of our own staff, and that happened to be in Florida. For me, I was able to remember when we were actually on the beach and bring in more of the memories we had there—the feeling of the sand—and almost even feel it.

Just not having to do anything during this little bit of time, when I was thinking about the ocean and listening, was nice. My shoulders felt a little bit softer, and I was able to have a little bit of calm.

[Bailey] Yeah. Thank you all for being willing to practice and for your observations as well.

Okay, besties. We hope that this practice was helpful for you. Please know that you can tailor this in any way that works best. If you are more of a bird person or you enjoy a softly flowing creek over ocean waves, find a nature-related soundscape that works for you and help yourself get into that soft focus.

That way, you can reset and come back better prepared for the next thing.

We are so grateful that you chose to join us today, and we cannot wait to see you again next time. Take care and be well.

[Outro voices] I’m unbreakable, unstoppable. I’m creative, and I’ve got a lot of things to show.