We can often put a lot of attention and effort into how our surroundings look, smell, and feel, but it’s easy to overlook how they sound. Thanks to technology, with the tap of an icon we can change the atmosphere around us in moments. Given the current atmosphere, I thought I’d share some of the resources I’ve found to be helpful for myself and clients. Of course, live gong sessions rank highly on my list, but these are a little more portable.
If you’re not a cat lover, skip this one. If you are, then add this to your bookmarks now! Purrli allows you to customize the sound of a cat purring. You can make it slow down or speed up, throw in a few meows for variety, or pump up the volume. Listening in earbuds makes it even more vivid. (Listening around your cats might confuse them!)
The Calm app has both a free and a paid version. It offers guided meditations, exercises to help you breathe more—yes, you guessed it, calmly. It also has some peaceful music and some bedtime stories.
Insight Timer is chock-full of free guided meditations by both world-renowned and lesser-known teachers. It also has a selection of music that can support your meditation practice, help you drift off to sleep, or give you focus. In addition, it offers a fancy meditation timer (hence the name). I even have one short meditation on there, and I’m hoping to add more soon.
This website and Chrome plugin helps generate sounds to increase your focus or block out the sounds around you. You can find it here.
I have to admit that this is one of my favorites. I can spend ages layering the different sounds to transport me exactly where I want to go, whether it’s the patio of a coffeeshop hearing rain on the roof, curled up on a train, or in the middle of a field in summer at sunset. It also has specific settings to help block out the ringing of tinnitus. It is truly a labor of love. It’s almost all free, but a small donation will give you lifetime access to even more sound generators. When I’m writing, editing, or reading, I usually have at least one tab open to a MyNoise page.
Enjoy your explorations of sound and how it can be yet another tool to shift your mood, change your focus, and help you relax. If you have other resources you love, I’d love to hear about them.