What Happens When You Stop Listening With Your Ears?
My heart called me to this spot in a forest on a recent hike.
What Happens When You Stop Listening With Your Ears?
As a certified forest therapy guide, I’ve walked with many people into the woods, and what often surprises them most isn’t what they hear—but what they feel.
There’s a moment I always come back to: a warm morning in late spring, deep in a grove of mature trees at Coyote Run Nature Preserve. I was guiding a group through a slow forest bathing walk, and we paused by a shallow vernal pond that hosts several species of salamander and other unique beings. One participant suddenly teared up. When I gently asked what she was noticing, she said, “I’m not sure. I didn’t hear anything, but I just felt...held.” That, right there, is the heart sense in action.
So what does happen when we stop listening with our ears?
Let’s explore.
What Is the Heart Sense?
The heart sense is a way of perceiving the world that doesn’t rely on logic, language, or your five senses—at least not directly. It's a kind of listening that comes from stillness, from presence, and from your emotional center.
Some traditions call it intuition. Others might describe it as the soul’s knowing or emotional intelligence. In forest therapy, we often invite participants to shift their awareness from the head to the heart—not metaphorically, but literally. When you move your attention into your chest, breathe deeply, and soften into the moment, something profound happens.
You begin to feel the forest instead of analyzing it.
Why the Ears Don’t Always Tell the Whole Story
We live in a world of noise—traffic, news, podcasts, the ping of yet another notification. Even in the woods, people sometimes carry that internal buzz with them.
But when you stop trying to “hear” in the conventional sense—when you stop listening with your ears—you open the door to a different kind of reception.
Feeling Instead of Analyzing
One of the most common things I see during forest walks is someone slowing down for the first time in a long time. At first, they look around, as if they need something to happen. But when they drop that expectation and just let themselves be, a subtle transformation begins. Their breathing deepens. Their shoulders drop. And then, often, comes a moment of wordless connection—a realization not prompted by sound, but by presence.
What You Begin to Hear Without Ears
When you quiet the analytical mind and let your awareness settle into your body, you begin to hear with your entire being.
You Hear the Silence Beneath the Sound
Silence in the forest isn't really silent. It's layered: the rustle of a squirrel in the underbrush, the faint creak of trees, the hum of a distant bee. But beneath that, there’s a kind of vibrational quiet that feels sacred.
View at Well Being Retreat Center -Tazewell, TN
One afternoon, walking alone in a pine forest on a retreat at the Well being Retreat Center in Tazewell, TN, I sat on a mossy log with my hand on my heart. I wasn’t asking for anything—just being still. And in that stillness, a sense of calm washed over me. I didn’t hear anything with my ears, but I felt the trees say: “You’re on the right path…you made the right choice.” Whether that came from them or from my own heart didn’t really matter. The message was received.
What Shifts in You
When you stop listening with your ears, your relationship with the natural world—and with yourself—begins to shift.
You Move from Observer to Participant
In our usual mode, nature is a backdrop. But when you listen from the heart, the forest stops being a landscape and becomes a living presence. The moss-covered stone isn’t just “pretty”—it draws you in. A birdcall doesn’t just sound pleasant—it feels like a gentle question: “Are you paying attention?”
You Access Deeper Emotional Clarity
Many people carry unspoken questions into the forest. Should I stay in this relationship? Why do I feel so disconnected? What’s next for me?
When we stop trying to think our way to answers and instead drop into stillness, clarity often emerges. I’ve seen people return from a sit spot with a decision they didn’t expect, a memory they hadn’t touched in years, or simply the peace of knowing they don’t need to have it all figured out.
A Heart-Centered Listening Practice You Can Try
Here’s a simple practice your ANFT Forest Therapy guide might invite you to try next time you go on a guided Forest Bathing walk. These easy tips can help you tap into this heart sense.
Step-by-Step: Listening with the Heart
Find a spot that feels inviting. It doesn’t have to be dramatic. A shaded area under a tree is perfect.
Sit or stand comfortably. Place one or both hands over your heart.
Take three deep breaths. Let your breath drop all the way into your belly, then exhale slowly.
Gently close your eyes. Or lower your gaze if closing them doesn’t feel safe.
Ask silently, “What is here for me now?”
Just listen. Not with your ears, but with your attention. Let the forest speak in feeling, image, or subtle knowing.
When you're ready, open your eyes slowly. Notice how the world looks now.
Afterward, you might want to journal or simply walk in quiet for a few more minutes.
Stories From the Forest: When the Heart Hears First
I’ll never forget one particular walk with a man in his early 50s. He came to the forest therapy session feeling burned out and uncertain about his career. During the invitation to find a tree to sit with, he chose a crooked old oak. After 15 minutes of quiet, he returned with tears in his eyes. He said, “I didn’t hear anything. But I felt like the tree knew I was tired and just said, ‘Rest. You don’t need to push right now.’”
That was all he needed. Not a fix. Not a plan. Just the felt permission to rest.
Why It Matters (Especially Now)
In a time when our heads are so full—news, obligations, questions—the wisdom of the heart sense offers a path back to calm. Back to clarity. Back to self.
And nature is the perfect place to practice that kind of listening.
Because when the birds sing, the wind blows, or a deer crosses your path, you might not just hear it—you might feel the whole forest exhale with you.
Final Thoughts: Come Listen Differently
Join me on a Forest Bathing walk
So here’s your invitation: the next time you step into the woods, don’t just walk. Don’t just hear. Try listening from your heart.
Because when you stop listening with your ears, the forest has a thousand other ways to speak—and one of them might be just for you.
BOOK my guided Forest Bathing walk to experience the forest, nature, and yourself in a whole new way.
