Music follows us everywhere: in shops, cafés, elevators, ads, our own headphones on the metro. And yet, most of the time, we're not listening. It's background, like wallpaper.
Deep listening means the opposite: giving a single piece of music your full attention, from the first note to the last silence. It's one of the simplest and most beautiful forms of meditation there is.
The expression "Deep Listening" was also used by the American composer Pauline Oliveros for her own lifelong practice of listening with care to all sounds. You don't need to know her work to begin. You only need a few minutes and one piece of music.
Choose your piece
Start with something calm, without words, around three to six minutes long. Two suggestions:
- Erik Satie, Gymnopédie No. 1 (1888). Slow, spacious, a little melancholy. Each note seems to float. - Claude Debussy, Clair de lune, from the Suite bergamasque. Moonlight in music: soft, flowing, then quietly radiant.
How to listen
1. Prepare. Sit comfortably. Put your phone on silent, face down, or use a speaker in the room. Dim the light if you can. 2. Close your eyes. Take three slow breaths before pressing play. 3. Follow one thread. Choose one element, the melody, the lowest notes, the silences between the notes, and follow it all the way through. 4. Notice your body. Where do you feel the music? Chest, shoulders, throat, hands? Does your breath change? 5. When your mind wanders, come back to the sound. Gently, like coming back to the breath. 6. Listen to the silence after the last note. Don't move for a few seconds. The silence is part of the piece.
Then listen again
Play it a second time and follow a different thread. You'll be surprised how different the same piece sounds.
Why it works
Music gives the mind something rich to hold, so it stops wandering. And because music moves through time, it trains us to stay present moment by moment, which is exactly what meditation asks.
More music worth listening to
The Digital subscription brings recommendations on classical music, opera, ballet, books and places, with at least one video and audio each month and the digital edition of "(meditating) On Art". A listening list for slower evenings.
Remember to take as much time as you need, and meet me at the next one.
Love, Evi