Tips for Meditating in a Noisy Environment

The ideal place for meditation is a nice, secluded place, that is quiet, has no immediate distractions, and is peaceful. Although some people may have access to places such as these, most of us live in cities, or with noisy families, or noisy neighbors. Although experienced meditators can usually ignore the sounds, new meditators could potentially get frustrated and distracted by the noise. Being frustrated with something while starting out is NEVER a good thing. First impressions are important after all! So what can be done? Read on! Most meditators have probably been in this situation: When they are just starting out to meditate, it is usually in their home, during the day, with 3 other family members running around the home making all sorts of noise. One of the first things you notice while meditating is just how much noise there is in a home; noise you would never have noticed while you weren't in meditation. So what can you do to ignore this noise? Try the following tips:

Noisy Home

Our homes themselves obviously isn't noisy; but the things inside it can be. Family members running around, dogs crying, cats meowing, etc. etc. etc. So what can be done?

• Change your meditation time to when other family members are asleep, or when you know they are not home. I live in a noisy house, and I usually meditate when my parents are at work, or after they go to sleep. This worked best for me.
• Take care of your pets first. Before meditating, make sure your pets have water, food, and did their business. This way they are less likely to bother you. Also, one of my observations with my own dog is try not to meditate behind a closed door. If you are the only one home, they might want to get close to a human. Meditating behind a closed door makes them want to come in, and they'll scratch until they are allowed in. When the door is open, they can come and go as they please. If they notice you just sitting there, they will probably leave you alone, or curl up next to you : ).
• Noise cancelling headphones. These headphones can decrease the noise volume considerably. Putting these on with relaxing music can almost completely drown out any noise. If you want a silent meditation experience, you might want to consider earplugs, or earphones, as noise cancelling headphones sometimes cancel sound by interference; which means you'll still hear a static type sound.
• Have them join in! Meditating in a group can be more powerful than meditating alone. Have your family join you in meditation, that way you get to meditate, and have a peaceful environment while you do it!
• Go outside. Some people live in the middle of nowhere. Although it means slow or no internet, it also means a quiet outdoor environment. If your house is noisy, go outside, find a nice, quiet spot, and meditate in nature. Oddly enough, the sounds in nature are not as distracting as they are in a house.

Noisy Environment

Some people just started on their own, they moved into an apartment, and are looking forward to start their life. There is one thing they notice however: It's a lot noisier in the apartment with neighbors, or the outside (most likely city-like) environment. So what can be done to decrease the noise factor?

• Change your meditation time to late at night/early in the morning. This is perhaps the easiest thing to do. If you meditate late at night or early in the morning, the odds of your neighbors sleeping are good, plus some places may have "quiet time policies." Take advantage of these times to meditate at.
• Earplugs/headphones. When you need to drown out the noise, this is a simple way to do it. Make sure, however, that they are comfortable for long periods of time. If they are not, you're most likely going to be more frustrated with the headphones than with the noise.
• Leave. No, I don't mean move out. I mean go somewhere else to meditate. It can be a yoga center, meditation center, or even at a local park. Although you might get weird looks meditating in public at a park; being outside, even in a city-like-place, can still be more relaxing than inside a noisy building.

Conclusion

Those are my tips for meditating in a noisy environment. Although, as you go further along the meditation path, you will eventually get a tolerance to noise, and will no longer need to follow these tips. However, for those starting out, want to get a good start on the path to meditation, and live in noisy environment, try these tips out. Hopefully they help you :).

So, what have your obstacles in terms of noise been on the path of meditation? What did you do, and did you gain a tolerance to it? Comment below!

Happy Meditating!

-Seth