Focused attention to one’s own motion unlocks awareness of its auditory environment
Evidence
I began the exercise concentrating on my motion. It was the first time I had really done so for the sake of just relaxing. By feeling the motion of my feet as they rolled from heel, to blade, to the balls and toes, I was aware for the very first time of the very structure and nature of my feet. How well designed they are for walking, and how functional. It was such a soothing and deep feeling. Then I began to notice the presence of sound, the creaking wood floor beneath my feet, the shuffle of socks against the lacquer, and the swish of jean fabric against itself. The drone of the room echoing its rhythm into the background and the eventual wave of music that came from the stereo. All of these auditory elements combined to play as a sort of soundtrack to the act of walking, which was transformed into an art. — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 431
Categorization
- SEED: This exemplifies a beginner’s first breakthrough in Deep Listening — a vivid teaching anecdote for articles on somatic attention as a doorway into sonic awareness.
- XREF: Connects to Oliveros’s core premise that directed attention to the body reshapes perception of the sonic field. — connects to: Extreme slow walking reveals subtle bodily energies normally masked — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 235; Sensation anchors awareness in immediate present presence — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 242; Headphone listening reveals sounds ordinarily outside awareness — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 279 (+2 more)
- corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 431
Broader Connections
- Attending closely to movement reveals a whole vivid soundscape within walking
#expands(0.95) — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 431