Can Meditation Help Us Live More Peacefully with Irritating Sounds?

This July, our Monday morning meditation group is exploring one of my favourite meditation practices - Antar Mouna, or Inner Silence. It is a simple yet profound meditation that helps us develop greater awareness of our external environment, our thoughts and our emotional responses, allowing us to cultivate a steadier, more peaceful mind.

One of our recent class discussions inspired this month's practice. It came from a student who had been struggling with an irritating and constant sound coming from a neighbour's garden. Despite asking politely, the situation could not be changed, leaving them feeling frustrated and unable to fully relax in their own outdoor space. Having practised yoga and meditation for many years, the student recognised that Antar Mouna might offer a way of working with the situation, and had already begun using the practice whilst sitting in the garden. During our class, we were able to explore a version of the meditation tailored to their particular circumstances, which I recorded for them to continue using at home. It was a lovely example of how these traditional practices can be adapted to support us with the very real challenges of everyday life.

I think that most of us experience something similar at times. It may be repetitive noise, barking dogs, building work, loud music or any sound that seems to intrude on our peace. The more we resist it, the more it often dominates our attention.

Antar Mouna offers a different approach. It does not ask us to pretend the sound is pleasant or that we should simply put up with it. Instead, it gently helps us change our relationship with experiences that are beyond our control.

In Stage 1 of Antar Mouna, rather than trying to block out an irritating sound, we allow it to become just one of many sounds within our field of awareness. Our attention moves naturally between all the sounds that are present – birdsong, the breeze, distant traffic, our own breathing and, when it arises, the sound we find difficult. Instead of labelling sounds as good or bad, we simply notice them appearing and disappearing within awareness.

Often it is not only the sound itself that disturbs us, but the thoughts and emotions that quickly follow. Frustration, irritation, anger, sadness or anxiety may arise. Antar Mouna encourages us to notice these responses and feel them in our body with the same gentle awareness, recognising that they too are part of our present experience.

As the practice develops into Stage 2, we begin observing the thoughts themselves. Rather than becoming caught up in each one, we learn to watch thoughts come and go, just as we observe sounds coming and going. Gradually we begin to experience ourselves as the witness – the quiet awareness in which sounds, thoughts and emotions all arise and pass away.

This change is rarely immediate. It comes through regular practice. Over time, you may notice that although the external sound has not changed, its ability to disturb your inner peace has softened. The sound is still there, but it no longer has quite the same hold over your mind.

I have found this to be true in my own meditation practice over many years. It is one of the reasons I value Antar Mouna so highly. It reminds us that whilst we cannot always control our surroundings, we can gently cultivate a different way of meeting them.

Of course, this does not mean we should never take practical action. If there is something we can reasonably do to improve a situation, it may be entirely appropriate to do so. Antar Mouna is not about passive acceptance. Rather, it helps us cultivate an inner steadiness alongside whatever action we choose to take.

Sometimes the greatest benefit of meditation is not that it changes the world around us, but that it quietly changes the way we experience it. Often those changes happen so gradually that one day we simply realise that something which once had such power over us has gently lost its grip.

If you would like to explore Antar Mouna with me, our Monday morning meditation group is practising it throughout July. You can find more information about classes and the meditation group here:

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