Excerpted from Francis Cholle’s The Intuitive Compass, Jossey-Bass
I am going to teach you an exercise, call The Listening Posture, in which you focus on your ability to listen differently. Listening is very powerful. It is a receptive function, which is a feminine quality. Therefore proper listening can greatly help you access the feminine dimension of your psyche and develop your creative sensitivity. There are many other reasons putting the emphasis on your auditory sense. Some are scientific; some are related to ancient wisdom and rituals. Professor Alfred Tomatis developed the Listening Posture. Although designed for therapeutic reasons, it is also a great way to sharpen your sensitivity, and access and develop your intuition. You can do it anyplace–in your office, or even in a loud environment such as a waiting room.
Instructions for the Listening Posture:
- Set your intention: Think about an area in which you would like to get insights. Make your question open ended. Write it down.
- Sit still in a comfortable chair, feel your seat in the chair.
- Leave your legs and arms uncrossed and relaxed.
- Close your eye and focus and your breathing. Breathe naturally.
- Relax your diaphragm (allow the muscular “floor” in your abdomen to move up when you exhale and down when you inhale).
- Relax your neck and shoulders, lower back, middle back, and upper back.
- Relax your facial muscles and the muscles around your upper lip, and tighten the skin of your face up and out to make it more smooth and even.
- Pay attention to the sounds in the room
- Focus on your right ear (unless you have impaired hearing, it is the one that can relay sound to your brain in the quickest way).
- Focus on all high-pitched founds,
- Focus on the harmonics of all sounds )the luminescent part of all sounds, like the crest of a wave).
- Float in this sonic bath. Let these harmonics energize you as much as they open you to greater awareness.
- Stay in this state for five minutes.
- Open your eyes and look around the room.
- Look at your question. Write all the ideas that come to you.