The relaxing sounds of nature to soothe and help you beat stress - birds of Bangalore

Beat the stress and the strain with nature's relaxing sounds 

The soothing sounds of nature may not be new to you; however we seem to have gone so far away from it all and are leading lives that are so stressed. As I sit here sipping ginger tea (my personal favourite, made from freshly grated ginger) tapping ever so lightly on the keyboard, I hear the call of the cuckoo. Coo coo she goes on and then from a far away tree comes another call coo coo. I close my eyes recline on my very comfortable chair and listen. The sound now seems to be coming from closer quarters and at shorter intervals. It is such a soothing sound to my ears. I feel my muscles relax, especially the ones around my shoulder and back. I keep listening to the calls and wonder how much we have lost, in our effort to keep up with the Joneses.

The Birds of Bangalore - their soothing sounds

The sound of these lovely Koels or cuckoos in the morning is my wake up call. I refuse to get out of bed without hearing them. The sight of the slanting rays of the sun shyly filtering in, the golden glow around me, makes my day. The musky smell of Jasmines blooming in a nearby garden fills the air with it’s enchantingly and unforgettable fragrance. Minutes later I hear the sounds of the purple rumped sunbird almost like the tinkle of delicate bells and I watch them fly about, golden yellow with purple black wings. Isn’t it enough to make your day? Wait, the coppersmith barbet now sings in his silvery soothing honeyed notes. It is a joy to listen to in the morning, it sets your mood for the day. Call it your mood music. These lovely little birds are golden green with those catchy red spots on their heads and throats, I can watch them flutter around at such speed and sing to me all day long.

The free and soothing sounds of nature - listen to the songs of birds

The white cheeked barbets now take their turn with their more guttural tones and sing in unison. It is the melody of nature mixed and blended to perfection to soothe and revive your worn out nerves. These emerald green beauties are such a soothing sight to your eyes. They almost blend with the sacred fig tree leaves (pepal tree) as they devour the fruits. The green bee eaters also chime in with their music, these little lighter green birds are again a soothing sight in the mornings.

The mynas, now twitter-tweet and then, as if they realize that it is time to hurry up with the days work, go on a chattering spree. Their incessant chatter is now orchestrated and echoed by the naughty squirrels that run across the tree trunks and the cables that mar the skyline of Bangalore, hanging precariously, yet chattering and renting the air with their high pitched noises. What a way to star the day in nature’s lap of luxury.

The spotted doves these tame little birds rather sober, compared to the brilliant gold and greens of the finches the barbets and the bee eaters are also a pleasant sight during the day. Their sounds are so sweet and naturally soothing to the ear. The mourning of the blue rock pigeons can help you go to sleep if you are not too close too them. Well they can get rather irritating with their mating noises that never seem to cease.

Relax with the sounds of nature - naturally

The shrill tweets of the parakeets, especially the rose ringed parakeets so common to Bangalore, fill the air as they fly around in huge flocks and dot the rather blue skies of Bangalore with spots of emerald. These curt calls, that can be heard in the evenings as they fly home to roost is rather soothing and perky at the same time.

The Elements , the wind the rain and the thunder - the sounds of nature

If this isn’t feast enough for the ears, you have the sound of the April rains falling softly, after the heat of the day. The steady drumming of the raindrops on the roof and the tinkling noises of water dripping from the leaves could soothe any nerve that is racked by the stress and strain of the day. Have you heard the sound of thunder and the crackling noises of lightning?Even those can be soothing when you are well wrapped in your silken quilts and the lights are all switched off. Just watch the magic of the flickering lightning and listen to the drum beat of the occasional thunder; with the constant harmony of the rain drops falling on the roof is soothing enough, to make you sleep for more than the eight hours that you need.

The soothing sound of rain and wind among the leaves

I love the sound of the rushing wind, rustling through the palms and the coconut trees with their hypnotizing jungle beats and rhythmic magic through the open spaces. This is magic to your ears. The recurring clatter and clinking of water on the leaves is another variation of the same magic. The whistling of the wind is sometimes eerie when it moves through open spaces, but among the leaves, the wind purrs and melts and drips in symphony and harmony.

Have you heard the sound of wind rustling the leaves of the peepal tree or the sacred fig?(Ficus religiosa) If you haven’t, then you really should. It is a soft rustling sound and a strange tinkling mixed and blended to produce an effect that can be mildly described as hypnotizing. The patter of rain on those leaves produces the same effect of the music of the Jal tarang a Hindustani classical music instrument which means ’waves in water’. The sound is produced with bamboo sticks padded with cotton, on bowls filled water. A tantalizing sound, that can weave magic on your mind and leave you floating in the seventh heavens. Well if you don’t believe in the seventh heaven, it will still leave you floating in air, such is the sensation of the soothing sounds of nature.

Leave the stress behind revel in the sounds of nature

This is a far cry from the screeching of ambulances and fire engines that rent the air in this city that I live in. The traffic noises and the blaring television and music of the noise loving Bangaloreans pale into insignificance as I focus on the soothing sounds of nature.

I cannot think of a better way to relax than to tune into nature and her wondrous sounds. Recuperating from some serious food poisoning a few days ago was so easy by just tuning into these sights, sounds and smells of the this beautiful city. Lying in bed, I never ceased to listen to the music of nature’s healing and soothing voices. I can never dream of living far away from all this, I love these soothing sounds of nature that keep me happy and contended all the time. It is almost like being cocooned in a blanket of love.

Take time to walk into a park or sit in natures lap and listen to her soothing sounds. Let the stress and the strain of the world behind you and be filled with inner contentment and quiet peace. I am sure you envy me now… well open your eyes and ears and you will find nature's gold mine of soothing sounds around you. Take care, all is well.