Silence .............a path to reach yourself............

2011-04-15T02:00:00.000-07:00

7 Little-Known Benefits of Silence and Solitude

“Nothing in all creation is so like God as silence.” – Meister Eckhart

Imagine hiking in beautiful mountains surrounded by century old trees and breathtaking views. Or picture waking up in a little bungalow at sunrise and being the first one to leave your footprints on white powder sand. This is what silence feels like to me – being away from civilization, traffic, huge crowds and never-ending phone calls. And the best part is that I do not have to travel all the way to Himalayas or Bora-Bora to feel this way.

When the world gets to you, you can simply turn off your cell phone, pause your iPod, shut the door behind you, close your eyes, take a few relaxing breaths and spend a few minutes in your ‘sanctuary’ of silence and solitude.

Believe me, there are many reasons to do it:

1. Silence provides inner peace.

Can you remember the last time you sat in silence and heard the sound of your breathing and felt the stillness of your soul? Moments like these are rare, but we need them, like water or like the air that we breathe. Take a few minutes a day to quieten your mind, let go of all the insignificant issues that you can not control and just allow yourself to let be. Feel inner peace washing through your body. Feel the healing benefits of silence.

2. Silence helps to communicate on a different level.

It always amazed me how my dad could just sit with his best friend fishing for hours, without saying a word to each other. I felt that the silence needed to be filled with something, otherwise the whole situation got too awkward and uncomfortable. Only years later I realized that there are different ways of communication. Words allow us to exchange information, and sometimes express our feelings. But silence is communication of the souls.
There is something magical about just sitting quietly with another person, and being in complete harmony with yourself and the outside world.

3. Silence promotes self-discovery.

The purpose of maintaining external silence is to encourage the development of internal silence. Yet many people let their inner voice die down in the external chatter. Silence offers an opportunity to practice awareness and acceptance. It helps you to discover that everything that exists in the universe is already within you.

4. Silence energizes you.

Outside noise is tiring to our mind and body. Think of the tons of stimuli that you receive every second. Think of all the bits and pieces of information that your brain has to analyze, ignore, memorize and retain. Then think of all the energy that we use while thinking, speaking and performing actions. The best way to recharge our energy is to sit for a few minutes in silence and let our mind and body rest.

5. Silence boosts creativity.

Creative sparks rarely come to us when we are thinking hard about something. Creativity requires solitude, concentration and above all the silence of “non-thinking” mind.

6. Silence enhances focus and mental clarity.

Even if you have trained yourself to work in a noisy office or at home with kids running around the house, your brain is still pre-programmed to respond and investigate each sound that stands out from the background noise (like a new telephone ring or closing door). All these sounds distract us and make it hard to stay concentrated. Once all the noise is gone, it becomes very easy to stay focused on the task at hand and be more productive.

7. Silence predisposes to sharing.

It is very easy to share your feelings and thoughts with someone who knows how to listen. And most people in our high-tech world long to voice out their feelings, achievements and worries. They long to be heard. All you have to do is practice staying silent and listening. This skill alone is guaranteed to improve your relationships and see people you have known for ages in a different light.

Make it your resolution today to find a quiet place where you can hide from all the hustle and bustle. With each deep breath, let go of everything that bothers you. Close your eyes and enjoy 10 minutes of deep, relaxing silence.

2011-04-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

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