News

Music and sounds from the Nature Connection soundbath I gave in May 2021 are now available as a pay-what-you-like download from my Bandcamp page (this includes nothing – just be sure to enter “0” at the checkout stage.

Although it doesn’t feature the readings or the gong from the live event I hope you can use this to practice deep listening, meditate to or simply relax/fall asleep to.

Track listing:

0:00 – 05:40 This was the pattern of my days

05:40 – 06:23 There is pleasure in the pathless words

06:24 – 10:32 How surely gravity’s law

10:33 – 11:44 I circle around the waterfall

11:45 – 12:55 The dawn

12:56 – 16:28 Soft, reflective mooing sounds

16:29 – 20:16 Take a walk at night

20:17 – 22:05 I believe I now understand in some small measure

22:06 – 25:21 The valley is a moody mistress

25:22 – 31:04 I found I was really going in

I’ve created a list of references for the readings we had in the Nature Connection: A Deep Listening soundbath below, along with links to online resources which may be of use.

Please get in touch if you have any questions.

Readings

“This was the pattern of my days…” (Ansell, 2012, p.44)

“There is pleasure in the pathless woods…” (Byron, 1818)

“How surely gravity’s law…” (Rilke, 1905)

“I circle around the waterfall….” (Myers, 2018, p.122)

“Soft, reflective mooing sounds….” (Baker, 2017, p.174)

“Take a walk at night…” (Oliveros, cited in O’Brien, 2016)

“I believe I now understand in some small measure” (Shepherd, 2011, p.108)

Bibliography

Ansell, Neil (2012). Deep Country: Five Years in the Welsh Hills. London: Penguin
Buy at Bookshop.org | Buy at Wordery

Baker, J.A. (2017). The Peregrine: 50th Anniversary Edition. London: Harper Collins
Buy at Bookshop.org | Buy at Wordery

Byron, Lord (1818). There is pleasure in the pathless woods. Poetryverse

Myers, Ben (2018). Under the Rock: The Poetry of a Place. London: Elliott and Thompson Limited
Buy at Bookshop.org | Buy at Wordery

O’Brien, Kerry (2016, 9 December). Listening as activism: the “Sonic Meditations” of Pauline Oliveros. New Yorker

Oliveros, Pauline (2005). Deep Listening: A Composer’s Sound Practice. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse
Buy at Bookshop.org | Buy at Wordery

Shepherd, Nan (2011). The Living Mountain. London: Canongate
Buy at Bookshop.org | Buy at Wordery

Rilke, Rainer Maria (1905). How surely gravity’s law. Poetry Exchange

Resources

Nature and mental health. Mind

Wellbeing through wildlife. RSPB

A-Z of mindfulness in nature. BBC Countryfile

Mental Health Awareness Week, 10-16 May 2021: Nature. Mental Health Foundation

How to start forest bathing. Forestry England

Organisations

Canal and River Trust

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)

Wildlife Trusts

Woodland Trust

I’m very excited to announce that I’ll be leading some in person gong baths in May and June. The events will be indoors and run according to Covid secure measures – so places will be limited. All sessions can be booked via the GONG website.

As with my online classes (every Tuesday at 19:00 – check schedule for full details) I’ll be playing a symphonic gong and koshi chimes. I’ll also be introducing other instruments, including Himalayan singing bowls and a mixture of therapeutic percussion. The sessions will be a great way to unwind and relax at the end of a busy day.

May 2021

Sunday 30 May, 16:00-17:00
Greenwich Fitness and Pilates, SE10 8NB
Cost: £20 + £2.15 booking fee
Book now

June 2021

Tuesday 1 June, 18:00-19:00
Beckenham Place Mansion, Beckenham Place Park, BR3 1SY
Cost: £20 + £2.15 booking fee
Book now

Monday 7 June, 18:00-19:00
Beckenham Place Mansion, Beckenham Place Park, BR3 1SY
Cost: £20 + £2.15 booking fee
Book now

Sunday 13 May, 18:00-19:00
Greenwich Fitness and Pilates, SE10 8NB
Cost: £20 + £2.15 booking fee
Book now

The positive relationship between spending time in nature and our mental health is well established. It can reduce negative feelings such as stress, anger and anxiety while helping us to become more active, connected and relaxed (Mind, Nature and Mental Health, 2018). No wonder then that the theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week centres around connecting with nature.

As part of marking Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 in connection with GONG I’ll be running “Nature Connection: A Deep Listening Soundbath”. In this session, we’ll be developing our abilities to listen attentively while reflecting on how nature affects our wellbeing, and our relationship with the natural world. As part of the session you’ll be encouraged to set intentions based on your reflections to deepen an ongoing engagement with nature.

There will be a combination of gong, therapeutic percussion, ambient music, sounds from the natural world and short readings.

The session will last for 75 mins and be delivered online via Zoom. Participants will need a comfortable place to lie down for this time, a reliable WiFi connection and a good pair of headphones.

Book on to Nature Connection: A Deep Listening Soundbath