According to pop comics and fictional media, a superpower is considered to be an \u201cextraordinary superhuman ability\u201d or \u201can exaggeration of normal human traits\u201d. Although the power of listening won\u2019t grant us the ability to control the weather or fly, it could be argued that it does, in some ways, change the energetic atmosphere around us and can transport us to another place \u2014 the present moment.
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The art of listening is a tool to break the trance of operating in automatic pilot or feeling consumed by anxiety or depression. The conscious practice of listening can help us connect deeper in our relationships with others, ourselves, the natural world and with the life that holds us. So how is
listening a superpower?
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I vividly remember the first time I experienced the power of consciously listening to the sounds of the present moment. I had just begun a dog walk on the beach when I received a text message that triggered me. It was as if the blinkers came down; my mind became consumed by a thick fog, replaying conversations from the past and having fictitious arguments that might occur in the future. I was in a trance of my own little fantasy world and I felt rotten.
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In awareness (the practice of mindfulness), it was as if all my senses switched on. The sea was so blue and the ocean was so loud; the waves were roaring. I realised I\u2019d been on the beach for 10 minutes but I hadn\u2019t been on the beach at all.
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Consciously bringing our attention to our ears, to the sound of the present moment, can help break being caught up in the fantasy of thought and transport us back to what is real: the present moment.
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When in conversation with someone, are you really listening or are you half listening and half preparing what you want to say next? \u201cActive listening\u201d is a tool used in most therapeutic professions. The quality to which someone is consciously listening is the difference between a good coach, therapist or doctor and a great one. When we listen consciously, we listen with our whole body. We are present to the energy of the other person and their body language, not just the words they use.
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As author Dr Marshall Rosenberg suggests, when consciously listening we are \u201creceiving empathetically\u201d and in doing so we build greater trust, respect and connection. We create a force field of safety, empathy, kindness and connection with the ability to see ourselves in others.
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Being conscious of the thoughts we experience and the words we share, and checking in with the alignment of the two, is a powerful practice of self-awareness. Listening in this way \u2014 in the present moment \u2014 determines the trajectory of our future.
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There\u2019s a saying by Frank Outlaw that goes: \u201cWatch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.\u201d
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I see meditation as a means of listening \u2014 to become familiar, aware and intimate with our own inner world. In this conscious practice of being with ourselves in this way, we create space for and allow a deeper listening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through meditation, we can hear the whispers of the heart and guidance from our gut or intuition. We can connect to our higher self, to love or spirit. A superhero is simply a character that uses their powers to make the world a better place. Conscious listening requires awareness, non judgement, presence, practice and action, just as with any other mindfulness practice. Perhaps then, being a superhero is merely a matter of choice \u2014 to remember and choose love.
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