“I built a blanket cave to record meditation tracks. The buzz word Alchemy is far too strong a word for what I discovered. It was closer to a giggling Indiana Jones hunting for an ancient relic in a dark tomb and coming across a wee shiny trinket.”
For a while now I’ve been quietly producing and uploading meditation tracks on the Insight Timer app, tI am trying to help folk take a pause from their relentless lives. The first few tracks were basic and flat — they needed a lift. I considered whether the wee home office where my mic had been set up was creating too much echo, making the sound rubbish, reducing any engagement.
During some interweb investigations, I came across photos of singers standing on ancient rugs in the recording studio. Turns out wool flooring and the odd cushion inhibits reverberation, apparently, here was me thinking they were trying to channel generations of Persian heritage into the microphone.
I took this newly gained knowledge a step further — maybe too far. I built a cave at the bottom of our bed out of blankets, cushions, a wooden towel rack and the chair that serves as a dumping ground for clothes too clean for the washing machine but too worn to be put back in the wardrobe. My temporary recording studio resembled a hideout your bairns or grandchildren fire together on a Saturday morning while you’re trying to have some me time with the first of the weekend’s relaxing coffees.
Unfortunately I built the microphone stand out of empty boxes and introduced yet another echo chamber. Awe well — more additions for the lessons learned mental register.
Here’s the thing though — hiding in what felt like my bat cave did something unexpected. Feeling obscured and not on display allowed me to relax. Listening back, on those first few tracks, I am so focused on being coherent, slowing down, softening the gruffness of my accent, all I achieved was sounding like a boring Scottish robot.
Imagine C-3PO with a ginger beard wearing a kilt, R2-D2 beside him full of single malt —
“By the way, you must meditate.
Ooch aye the noo.
Be at one with the Highland coo.
Hoots man, you must meditate.”
Well, not as bad as that stereotype — but close.
I feel these new covertly produced tracks are just more honest. My whole life, I’ve been told to slow down or soften my accent just to be understood, and I brought that same habit into those first tracks — flattening everything out. Under the blankets, I just stopped fighting my own voice. I binned the mental script, went rogue, although the results may be harder to decipher, they are more honest.
Even the dodgy acoustics can’t hide the joie de vivre in these recently uploaded meditations. Maybe the blanket cave was a good idea after all.
For me meditation isn’t about being stoic. It’s about living life, finding a reason to smile in the struggles, even on hands and knees crawling into childlike sanctuaries. This isn’t turning trace metals into something pure and shiny, but these words might raise your spirits and help you turn restlessness into calm — and that’s golden.
So if you’re looking for a reason to extend some procrastination or need a pause, please arrive with some patience, forgive the poor acoustics and have a listen. Fair warning — there’s no “Namaste beautiful soul” or “Welcome blessed one” with accompanying Peruvian pipes. Just me blethering away, laughing too much at my own stories and jokes before eventually getting round to some breathing exercises.
It took me a blanket cave and a couple of echo chambers to become present. How do you let go of the facade and arrive at yourself?
Thanks for taking the time for these words. To enjoy one of the blanket cave tracks, follow the link below.
It’s a free app, you don’t need to purchase a premium account to access my uploads or the millions of others, and they are much more coherent than my tracks.
There’s a wee gallery of a few adventures in my tent or a tarp. I feel truly blessed to be able to roam the glens and lochs of Scotland and cherish every moment spent in the wild.
Maybe that’s why the house duvet tent felt so natural — because I endeavour to get ootside into the wilderness and spend as much time as possible under canvas.
Cheers
Getootside 