The Sound of Silence

Last week Tanya, my co-host on our podcast Two Pittas on a Pod, and I recorded an episode on silence and being still. This episode will be out in about six weeks. I have continued thinking about silence and being still all week long. This is something I struggle with. I can be silent and still when I meditate but that is about the only time.

Even at a massage it's hard for me to just be quiet.

Even when I'm teaching yin yoga it is hard for me to be silent and still.

When you have free time do you frequently turn on the TV? Do you scroll through social media? Do you mindlessly search through Pinterest or get sucked into YouTube or Tik Tok? When we do this, we miss out on many of the incredible benefits of just being silent and still. We miss seeing the blind spots in our lives, you know those unconscious behaviors that may keep us from feeling better about ourselves. When we are silent and still, we've become clearer on everything in our lives. We can process our emotions instead of just shoving them down and ignored. When we can learn how to be silent, we can learn how to relax. We can learn how to really love our own company. This will make us more enjoyable to be around when we are with the people we love.

I sat myself down and started thinking about the times I can be silent.

I can be silent with my husband.

I can be silent when I meditate.

I can be silent when I am on a walk, but my mind is not silent, it is filled with noise. Noise about what I need to get done.

Being silent and being still is hard for most everyone. I always thought that I could be silent and still, but I didn't realize all the outside noises I allowed in all the time. I think for me, it is hard to be silent because then I'm quiet with my thoughts. The thoughts that have always bubbled up since I was a child. I became more aware of these thoughts when I read the book Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. She talks about how we all walk with fear. Fear has to play a part in our lives, but it doesn’t get to be the driver of our lives. When I find ways to keep fear and worry in its place, I can be still.

I think if we just start small and just stop for two minutes and be quiet and be still and listen into ourselves, we will learn so much about ourselves that we didn't even know. Taking those two minutes may turn into three then four then maybe even twenty. Then I guess we will be meditating and not even realizing it! You may have heard meditation called the exploration of stillness. I think meditation is life changing but it's hard to do. We have so many outside noises that interrupt us. But when we take the time even if we start with just two minutes, we can learn to be silent and still and not have that need to fill the silence with noise.

What is the sound of silence for you?

For me, it is contentment, safety and trust.

When I allow it in, I am healthier.