The Power of Silence

We must never underestimate the power of silence. It speaks volumes without any words necessary. The power of getting quiet and grounding back into your physical body is invaluable. It's paramount to make an intentional effort to seek stillness and settle within to hear yourself - all parts of you and what all the parts of your consciousness have to say. Meditation helps you to cleanse, release, and strengthen faith in yourself and a greater force in life - the universe, Spirit, Creator, G-d, All That Is, etc. It's a moment to really bow to the mystery of life and remain humble. I've been reminded on numerous occasions that I don’t have it all figured out and I'm not truly aware of all that shapes who I am as well as the magic going on behind the scenes when it comes to creating a life of my deepest desires. Doing some inner work doesn't grant you permission to always assume any strife in your life is always a product of one or two profound realizations. It's ignorant and a way of playing it safe to assume you know it all and where it's coming from. Self-awareness is key to instilling any change, but it's an endlessly growing and broadening light you get to shine on yourself again and again. The inner discoveries promise to never bore you, and silence permits the unfolding to deepen.

It's in the quiet moments where I can listen and exercise the courage to stay in my body where healing transpires and higher vibrations and harmony are curated. Without it, we can often be led astray, distracted, foggy, over-stimulated, and ignore our heart's wisdom that's brilliantly trying to guide us. Every morning I take the time to intentionally get quiet through meditation and breathwork. These are two powerful modalities that have completely re-routed my relationship with myself and the quality of my head space, heart space, and soul space. And they graciously continue to do so.

Taking responsibility for your life and yearning to create a life that honors the best version of yourself coming forward, requires a commitment to curating an inner world that you're most proud of, and that's where deep contemplation, truth, and honesty are found. In terms of communication, they say that 55% is body language, 33% is the tone of voice, and 7% is the words spoken. This demonstrates that there's so much to be understood and felt outside of just the spoken word, especially when in conversation with ourselves. Being able to enjoy the company you keep is one of the greatest skills we can develop. We all need each other and we need community, yet we also need to foster a healthy connection with ourselves through the quiet, and the witnessing of the true workings of our mind, body, and soul. There is so much you can learn about yourself through the practice of meditation and contemplation as well as helping yourself, first and foremost, to get into a more calm and peaceful state. Whatever specific modality you seek this in is irrelevant, however, the intention of taking time to disconnect from the outside noise and tune IN is a must in the stimulating world that we live in. We have to be responsible, more than ever, to ensure that our inner world is tended to in hopes of staying in alignment with what we truly want externally. An Afghan proverb claims, "What you see in yourself is what you see in the world" and I truly can't stress the importance of this message enough to illustrate the imperativeness of seeking out your own form of meditation to help transform your inner world experience.

My meditative journey has changed significantly since I first began at the age of 22 during my senior year of college. Let me preface and say that it's a practice and journey in itself to find the meditative forms that best suit you. I began with guided meditations on YouTube, became an avid follower of the Vipassana meditation teacher, Tara Brach, switched to pure silence as a "hardcore" attempt, to now a more open approach of sound baths, connecting with a different consciousness, guided imageries, visualizations, priming, etc. The list can go on and on. The point is there are so many "ways" to meditate, and believe it or not - breathe, too. I started with breathwork exercises called Pranayama from the Yogic tradition then shifted into experimenting with more intense modalities like Breathwork Detox, Wim Hof Method, and Neurodynamic Breathing. These different practices allow me the opportunity to check in with myself and gauge what's going on internally as well as help clear up the fog I may be experiencing. E-motions are energy in motion. Breathing in a way that floods our body with oxygen helps to move stagnant energies that are trapped throughout the body. These modalities gift me a chance to feel connected to myself and ground into my body, which is such an easy thing to escape and a common gateway for the avoidance of pain. Needless to say, this journey has been challenging, fun, and transformative as it continues to unfold. I've come to a place where I actually enjoy and look forward to my quiet time because I've seen the benefits translate into my daily life through all the unexpected difficult opportunities it shall bring.

As Viktor Frankl states, "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." Now in my experience, this space he speaks of is more easily captured and experienced through a practice of getting quiet and practicing silence. There's a lot to be found in the pursuit of stillness because oftentimes it is far from still. We may perceive meditation to look and feel a certain way where we're all zen'd out, void of any thoughts, and in a complete state of tranquility and bliss. Sure…that's possible, but getting quiet can also be DAMN loud - you are NOT alone in that. And it's in that willingness to choose yourself and meet yourself in a quiet setting for your internal journey that supports less reactivity and more proactivity. We get used to ourselves, and things aren't as striking to us with time and practice. We learn to let the discomfort and unpleasant feelings, emotions, thoughts, memories, etc. stir up within us, rather than abandon ourselves, and get to know those experiences and parts more intimately than ever before. We get to ignite higher states of gratitude, appreciation, peace, and contentment into our bodies and let that penetrate our cells. The message here is it's not supposed to look or feel any certain way because you are embodying and learning your way! Your way to more deeply connect and meet yourself. And this isn't to say certain meditative guidelines aren't helpful because they surely are, and you learn which ones you're drawn to and find most beneficial in deepening your practice. Sometimes you can get frustrated because you feel like "What's the point?" or "Am I there yet?" or "Am I doing it right?" - all are valid and normal, but are not exactly what the journey is about. With time, you will find certain styles, voices, teachers, music, settings, etc. are more to your liking/nature, so follow those impulses and nudges. They are there to help you! It's an intuitively led pursuit.

We still may resort to old patterns and responses despite nourishing and cultivating internal space, and there's nothing wrong with it. I cannot tell you the number of times I watch myself acting out in older versions of myself only to leave me bewildered, upset, and disappointed. Where is my self-control? Why isn't my self-discipline paying off? And here's where the invitation is to remain humble and continue your venture as a student of this Earth. It's a practice not perfect, and it's just more supportive information about what self-inquiries and self-reflections are best for you at this present moment and what steps would be best to take. It's your responsibility to curate and then familiarize yourself with the spaciousness possible from within. That space is always available, and it's a choice to find it. Dive in and dive deep!