The Listening Workshop ~ Sensitivity Training in Listening and Hearing

This is a  One Day Workshop that a gentle, non-threatening sensory and psychological experience, held in a safe, supportive atmosphere.

There are 2 points of focus:

Your Ears ~ Listening

Learning to listen  on a more subtle level to the world around you, from the sound of the environment, the sounds of your body, the many layers in orchestral music, to instruments you have never heard before, etc. is a pleasurable exercise that helps to develop discernment, concentration, sensitivity and sophistication.  Many people experience this as opening up a new sense of alertness for them.  In the course of the morning we also do some exercises on directionality, volume, and timbre ~ so you get a chance to see how astute you are in those areas ~ and to play creatively in response to them.  

You will tune in to discern more accurately exactly where you are feeling a variety of sounds in your body. . . for we hear not just with the ears.  This increases your enjoyment of the experience of the world of Sound in general and gets you more in touch with a level of animal instinct many of us have lost.

Your Mind-Set ~ PART 2 of the Workshop ~ Hearing

Learning to 'hear' others means letting go of your judgments when someone is speaking in order to experience the 'other' from his or her point of view while maintaining your own quiet center.  It's tantamount to be able to do this if understanding others and commuicating well is important to you.

You will also discover your body intelligence knows whether a sound (including the sound of a voice)  is 'healthy' for you.  This will empower you to protect yourself more from those sounds which pollute your personal system in future.

And you will be sensitized to 'double-messages' in the voice itself ~ when someone is lying and when she is telling you the truth.

Philosophical under-pinnings of the workshop:

Listening with discernment brings greater pleasure to your relationship with the world of sound ~ and a greater sensitivity to what is healthy or unhealthy for you personally.

True hearing is a kind of love ~ it answers one of our deepest human needs (to be 'heard', or understood.) In order to enjoy true emotional closeness it's imperative to be capable of both listening and hearing.

These are challenging and fragile times. We are being pulled very powerfully by both positive and negative forces  ~ and it is up to us to try to keep our balance, remain sane, and continue to expand our potential to love and to serve.  Learning to hear one another accurately and without negative judgment is part of that process.