Invitation to Sit
Mar 20, 2020
Invitation to Sit
When my children were young, I played classical music almost exclusively in our home knowing they would get precious little exposure to it elsewhere as they grew. I hoped to instill the same appreciation for it my mother shared with me as a child. Bragging about this one day to a friend, I was shocked when he responded that they would be better served to learn to be in silence. That very few anymore know how to even tolerate silence. He was right! Whether it be traffic noise or the ever present stream of music offered up everywhere you go (even the gas pump for cryin’ out loud!), it's difficult to find an experience of true silence. And I've heard not just a few people say they get nervous when it's too quiet. We are relentlessly inoculated with the sound of (wo)man and their machines from birth. And now, suddenly, with the advent of our current self-imposed 'social distancing', many of us may be experiencing more silence than ever before.
The Mind and It's Noise
Then there's the noise of our very own minds. Our thoughts spin round and round saying pretty much the same things over and over. Did you know the average person has around 15,000 thoughts/day, and that most are the same ones repeating again and again? How powerful is that? Wow. Combine that with the age old wisdoms, "Just because you think it, doesn't mean it's true" & "A belief is nothing more than a thought you've repeated to yourself over and over" and you can begin to see how we get into a lot of messes, individually and collectively with the insistent voice of our minds. Faux news anyone? Maybe....
Just Sit
The Mind Wants to Breathe Too!
So why silence?
It's like allowing the mind space to breathe.
You know how great it feels to take a deep breath? (try it right now :<) That's how it feels to clear the mind and Enter the Silence. Even for five minutes! It doesn't mean we have to have utter silence, but it helps. It certainly means we clear the decks from distractions and just Be with the mind. Whatever it's doing or saying.
Uh-oh. There's the rub for most. Just sit there doing nothing, thinking nothing? Yikes. Sounds pretty boring, huh? When my husband was first introduced to meditation and letting go of thoughts, his first reaction was, "But I LIKE my thoughts!"
Meditation
Yup. We are talking about meditation here. It means many different things to people these days. And I know it's kinda like the new fashion too. There's certainly a lot of buzz about it going on. Since you've read this far, perhaps you'd be interested in trying a little experiment? I'm attaching a link for a short 10 minute guided meditation I recorded, designed to help you watch your thoughts instead of being lost in them. You may even have the direct experience of realizing the "Who You Really Are" is separate from your thoughts. Ahhhh, breath of fresh air. And some Peace.
May You Be At Peace
Next week I'll explore a little more about silence and meditation. In the meantime, if you practice the Guided Meditation a bit, let us know your experience in the comments! Or any questions, thoughts... AND - if you know anyone who might be interested in this line of inquiry, I'd love it if you'd forward it along with an invitation to subscribe to the blog!
-Connie