The Power Of Listening To Silence
Bring peace into your life effortlessly as you interact with your inner world
Meditation has been in my life for about a decade and has completely transformed it.
Initially, it was a long and tedious process, as my mind seemed to have millions of conversations simultaneously.
Any hope of experiencing what most seasoned meditators spoke of could only be related to a Mount Everest climb.
Thankfully, things have improved immensely since then through plenty of patience, countless assisted guided meditations, over 200 yin yoga classes and several hours spent in nature. I wasn't kidding when I said my head was a jungle!
It still is occasionally, but far less so, thanks to the gift of meditation.
I am trying to illustrate that if I can do it, you certainly can, too.
Is meditation a new concept for you, or do you already enjoy a regular meditation practice?
How has that impacted your life, if so?
I am excited to delve into this approach to meditation with you!
"Practicing silence means making a commitment to take a certain amount of time to simply Be." - Deepak Chopra
Embracing Silence As A Form Of Meditation
I stumbled across this method a few years ago when I was led to the teachings of Kyle Cease, a comedian turned transformational speaker. I resonated with many of his musings and found this concept intriguing.
My mind said meditating this way was a cop-out and that proper meditation should focus on breath, movement, specific intentions or affirmations.
What could just sitting in silence ever hope to achieve?
At the time, Kyle Cease did it for at least two hours per session. I chuckled when I heard this because even though I had been somewhat consistent with my meditation practice over the few years prior, I had never had a session that was anywhere close to that long. I mean, who has that time to just be?
The closest I would come to that back then would have been a 75-minute yin yoga class, but even that was a group activity holding my attention.
Luckily, I have always been intrigued by seemingly impossible concepts. Eventually, my curiosity, thankfully, got the better of me, and I dipped my toes into the 'Listening To Silence' waters.
Taking The Plunge And Reaping The Benefits
At first, I engaged in the practice for 15–30 minutes. After a few sessions of doing just that, I started to feel slight shifts within me.
I began to experience a deeper level of inner peace. I felt more grounded, in deeper touch with my Higher Self, and better connected to my intuition.
Just as regular mediation had been for me initially, it took me a while to settle into these sessions.
For the most part, we are trained out of just being. Therefore, thoughts, feelings, and previously shelved issues begin to rise to the surface once we finally give them the time, space, and audience to be acknowledged.
These parts of ourselves have been waiting all our lives to be seen and heard so that they can be accepted, felt, and released forever. This can be an unsettling and sometimes painful process, but it is transient.
Freedom awaits beyond that threshold.
As with anything, when you start to experience tangible benefits, even slight ones, you can relax into the practice easier. And once you experience the outcome of lightness and peace, you want more of it!
Who would have thought that just sitting and listening to silence could have such profound results?
It makes you feel closer to Yourself—the authentic you that is most likely hidden under layers of past unpleasant situations, disappointments, unhealed relationships and issues that have only been half-felt, if that at all.
“If you look within half as much as you look around, you’ll find answers that far exceed what you may have otherwise found.” - Phil Good
Allowing The Magic To Unfold
The beauty of this practice is that once a substantial amount of things have been seen and released, there is space for inspiration and ideas to readily enter your conscious awareness.
If you seek guidance on a pressing matter, this can be received quickly if you have created the space for it. As you observe your thoughts floating or fleeting (or both) through your mind, you begin to identify solutions to situations that may have been preoccupying you.
It is magical.
During the pandemic, when self-isolation was enforced, it was a golden opportunity for me to dive in and experience this practice for the entire two hours daily and beyond.
In no time at all, I was hooked. And I still am, as it is still an essential part of my daily practice, at a minimum of 30 minutes!
It has enabled me to remain insanely calm throughout the intense times we still find ourselves in, to degrees that surprise me. And I love it!
In addition, it has given me clear guidance on what steps to take or not take on my journey, which are more often than not surprising courses of action. I have become used to that over the last few years and am now bolder at standing in my truth.
Listening to silence has helped me immensely because it profoundly connects me to who I really am. It drowns out all of the external noise and assists me in embodying my true authentic Self to a higher degree.
I cannot recommend it enough.
Yes, You Have The Time
"Who has the time to do that for two hours daily?” I hear you say.
I understand that this may not happen all at once. It didn't for me either; it simply evolved naturally.
Just start. For merely 5 minutes. Then, 10 minutes. Into 20 minutes…
Surely you can spend less time on social media daily to stare into space?
Trust me; it's an incredibly worthy trade-off!
But don’t take my word for it. Try it and see for yourself.
When I took the plunge into taking this experiment up to two hours, after a few days, something began to shift. I began to lose all sense of time, and I even sat for three hours and longer without knowing it when I did not set a timer!
I had detached from this reality and found myself in another dimension—alone with my thoughts and soul; a deeper part of myself had disconnected me from space and time as we know it.
I loved it!
But don't overwhelm yourself by setting a goal to do it for two hours a day. Start with 5 minutes and see how things organically develop from there. You may find enough benefit from 15 minutes daily, which will be your jam.
Even if you never find yourself sitting in silence for two hours, I can assure you that 15 minutes a day consistently can create so much peace in your heart that you will be delighted you took the time.
The point is that this practice allows us to just BE. It brings us back to our true nature as human beings and not the human doings we have contrived ourselves to be.
The Time Is Now
There has never been a better time to implement these sorts of practices, especially in this ever-increasing technological age that we find ourselves in.
This practice works best for me when I am lying comfortably in bed, cosy and relaxed.
I meditate this way when I wake up, first thing in the morning, by lingering in bed longer and/or before I sleep at night.
Be as comfortable as possible, but not too comfy that you fall asleep quickly. Ensure that you are alert enough to engage in this transformative practice.
Just begin, and then work your way up. Five minutes is good, 15 is better and so on. There is no right way to do anything - only the way that resonates with your soul.
Step out of the norm into the depths of your soul.
You will be happy you did, and the inner peace you cultivate will be the best present you can give yourself, your loved ones, and humanity.
What does your meditation practice currently involve?
Are you already practising this technique?
Please feel free to share your experiences in the comments below!
If you haven't already, I am highly excited for you to discover the power of listening to silence!
Infinite Love,
Ponder Woman
“Silence is not the absence of something but the presence of everything.” - Gordon Hempton
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