By Linda Ruiz


With the ever increasing pace of life, more and more people are looking for ways to relax and ease their stress. A convenient, inexpensive way of doing this is by listening to recordings of the natural world. Calming ocean sounds and other natural 'music' has a wonderfully calming effect on the mind, body and spirit, and is an ideal way to provide some much-needed harmony for the stressed and overwhelmed.

A great way they can be put to use is as a relaxing background to activities like pilates, yoga and meditation. There has been an explosion of interest in these activities recently as people look for ways to restore some balance to their lives. Many enthusiasts are realizing that they can enhance their practice by listening to natural sounds.

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 come as no surprise to scientists who have researched the effects of nature's sounds. Studies have shown that they can help people recover from stress more quickly and easily. Even the non-scientists among us know at an intuitive level that these sounds can have a calming, restorative effect. We all have a primal response to the natural environment, and it's effect on us can be profound.

This can be seen in the often remarkable effects nature's sounds have on children. They seem to connect with babies and toddlers at a very basic level. Upset babies often respond well to calming natural sounds when other attempts to calm them have failed. Likewise, a child that is reluctant to sleep will often drift off easily when given calming nature sounds to sleep to.

Their use is not limited to babies, either. Many adults use these recordings as an aid for falling asleep. Natural sounds can help folks fall asleep faster and enjoy deeper, sounder sleep. They are also popular simply as a way to create a relaxing atmosphere in the home. A recording of springtime for example, can create a superbly relaxing atmosphere that blots out the stresses of modern life and restores a sense of well-being.

A relaxing atmosphere can also be of great benefit to students when they are studying. They tend to enjoy their study time more, plus they gain an important advantage. As their bodies (and brains) become more relaxed, they become better able to learn. Studies have shown that relaxed students are also more likely retain more of what they learn compared to those who study in a less tranquil environment.




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