(Bali Postcard) Sound of Nature & the Stress of Noise

I just discovered a place on the coast of Bali that is so quiet that I can feel the difference in my body…

It’s a small eco-retreat on a beach used only by local fishermen, and there are (hardly) any motorcycles or other machines anywhere around, so one just hears the soft sounds of insects, birds and waves breaking softly on the beach below.

When I arrived here a few days ago I couldn’t believe the contrast after the other noisier villages and towns I’ve been in here, even though I usually find the quietest areas I can wherever I stay.
It even took a few days for my body to slow down to the pace of being in such a quiet natural world.
The difference is so profound.

There has been much research into the affects of noise over certain decibels has a detrimental affect on our bodies and mind. Loud noise has bad affect on our memories, learning ability, our heart and cardiovascular system, brain, mental health and overall well-being.
Normally in the busy world our bodies are just trying to handle the stress of the loud man-made noises around us, especially at night, and these get in this way of us truly relaxing. Loud sounds have a deep affect on us all. Yes after a while of being surrounded by them we may no longer notice the loud noise in out world, but it’s still affecting our body.

Is many of us discovered the joy of less noise in the lockdown years. The world became quieter and our lives slower, so we could finally hear and enjoy more of the sounds of the natural world around us, and this gave our bodies a rare chance to relax at a deeper level that is so often not possible for us.
Of course there were a big increase of other big stressors (income loss, worry about illness, the future, being cut off from friends) yet this time of slowing down and hearing more natural sound was I feel such an important one for us all.

And now the world is noisy again and our bodies feel the stress of it.

So today here in this different place I filmed a FaceBook Live on this contrast, from the beautiful quiet place where I’m staying this week.

Here’s the Link if you like to watch my Live, and hear the sounds of waves, birds and frogs around me.

I am lucky to be spending another week here is this beautifully tranquil place, but then I too will return to noisier places – yet wherever I am I do seek to minimise noise around me, and you can too.
If you have a home (rather than being a nomad like me) there are many creative things you can do – like ‘living’ walls or screens of plants, sound-reducing paint and insulation in buildings, and even playing recordings of the natural world to cover other sounds, that can all help your body relax as you reduce the loud sounds around.

The best though is to spend some time in quiet, natural places whenever possible.
So take an afternoon, a weekend, or a week and spend it in a natural place where you can’t hear the sounds of the modern world (with your phone fully off if possible), and feel the deep relaxation and let go that starts happening in your body as it returns to the rhythm of the natural world, and the new creativity that arises in us from this.

I’d love to hear where you go to find your quiet place…

With love,
Cassandra Punita x

P.S. I just landed in London after my month in Bali (and longer in Australia), and I wrote this for you on my long flight back to the north again….
Now I’m back – would you like to see for a session?
My next London March clinics are filling up and will be happening on the 30th and 31st of March.
***Message me, or reply to this if you receive it by email, with when you’d like to see me and we can arrange a day and time that suits you best.

And I do also have space for virtual sessions on other days…