Quieting the Mind: Meditation, Silence & Stillness

“The wisdom voice is always declarative, and silence opens the doorway to contemplation and reflection…the greatest solace is in silence and nature.” –– Angeles Arrien

Meditation is the practice or technique of quieting the mind. It stills and silences the chatter of our daily life. Silence and stillness are avenues that lead to meditation. I strongly believe that learning and loving to be alone in silence and stillness is what helps us find solace and peace in our very busy lives. We need a pause button.

What happens when we do this?

? We develop skills in listening and observation.
• Becoming a listener and an observer, we develop the skill of mindful choices.
• We experience the sense of a higher self or God, a bigger picture.
• The mind becomes quiet and peaceful.

Under stress the fight-or-flight reaction happens and instead of engaging it, we can learn to turn our attention to observing what is going on, and then choose the behavior that brings understanding to the situation. As Brian Weiss states, “It is in the quiet of the silent mind that the meditator becomes an observer.”

Everyday we are challenged to find moments of relaxation and mindfulness (awareness of your thoughts, emotions, feelings, and perceptions) rather than being in a reactive state to whatever is happening. I recite on my CD, A Soul Walk, a passage that reminds us to pause and listen:
The thinking mind stops.
In the stillness of silence,
Nature’s sounds can be heard.

When we are still, we notice the things beyond the chatter in our mind. When you find the time to meditate, your mind becomes calmer, you can move further away from daily frustrations or angers, stresses, anxieties, and worries, and open more to your capacity to see a bigger picture of your experiences (you become the observer of your life).

There are many types of meditation: breathing, walking, standing, sitting, lying, mindfulness, visualization, prayer meditations and many more. Any of these styles need a focused time of silence. Once you acknowledge what thoughts and feelings you are having, you can then choose to focus on what the quality of thoughts and feelings you want, for example, joy, happiness, gratitude, etc.

I encourage everyone to embrace silence, to enjoy spending time alone, and to find that still part of your self. Make it a part of your every day, even if it is for only one to ten minutes. It will enrich the quality of your life. Explore and find what style of meditation attracts you, or is meaningful to you and practice it.

Enjoy your journey.