Silence has become my friend. It has enabled me to be quiet enough to notice what I wouldn’t in the swirl of noise and activity.
In order to discover and experience the spirit within, I need to be still and quiet enough to listen.
This is one of the gifts of alone time. Many of us rarely are alone with ourselves. Whether we are spending our days at work with others or surrounded by family/friends/community—-when do we find that we are by ourselves?
At times, it can be uncomfortable to be alone. We’re not used to it. I’m meaning without the t.v., smart phone, computer, etc. on or in the background. I’m meaning sitting quietly without distractions and just breathing in and out.
For some, just thinking about sitting quietly alone is an automatic way to close the mind and refuse to even try it. Did that just happen to you? Did resistance come up? Did you say to yourself, “why would I want to sit quietly alone, how boring?”.
On the other hand, did you embrace the idea of alone time and yearn to try sitting in silence for a short time? Or maybe you have already tried it or come to know the power of this time.
Either way, it takes discipline to find the time to be alone. It takes discipline to allow your mind to quiet and focus within. Some thoughts come up that may be hard to deal with. Learning to stay with the thoughts and think/feel them and question what they are trying to tell you may take more than a few tries. Once you stick with it you will usually be taken to an “a-ha” moment that becomes a breakthrough. You will learn so much about yourself.
I started out by setting a timer for 10 minutes of just sitting and breathing. When my mind would wander, I focused back on my breathing. When the timer buzzed, I was done. When I became comfortable with doing 10 minutes of silence, I then set the timer for 15 minutes. Over time, the stretches of silence have become longer and have become a practice that I look forward to.
When you learn to sit without expectations, breathe deeply, and feel your emotions, you go within. Going within (in the silence) will bring up much. What it brings up depends on the individual. I can tell you that I feel at peace after sitting and going within.
Embracing silence is a practice that has brought me meaning, peace, and serenity.
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