Silent- Completely absent of any sound.

Life has become full of noise and sound. It is hard to escape it wherever you go. There is background music in restaurants, and people are always making noise, so finding a silent place is nearly impossible. More importantly, there are a few times when we experience the joy of quiet peace in our minds. Left unchecked, our minds will produce a continuous production of thoughts. I have heard this described as the monkey mind—constant chatter for no real purpose. So the challenge today is to start to become more conscious of the silent peace one can achieve in thought, word,  and action.

How to Still Your Mind

Once the word meditation is mentioned, people let their preconceived notions take over. Many picture something strange, or a process of sitting cross-legged on the floor and chanting some peculiar mantra. This stereotype allows them to dismiss the benefits without ever trying it. Meditation is simply a conscious effort to calm and control your mind rather than the other way around. Finding ways to make your thoughts silent for a minute will allow you to communicate with your intuition and heart. It isn’t a complex ritual to follow, and you can do it anywhere. If the desire is to make your mind more silent and create a more peaceful existence, there is no one way to do this. Prayer is a form of this and works in my experience.

The simplest way to meditate and quiet my mind is through controlled breathing. I use a simple count of 4 to take in a breath, hold breath, and then release that breathe. That is what works for me, and it does help me relax and create a more silent mind. I heard it explained that when you give the “Monkey Mind,” a task like counting breathes, it stops making wild thoughts.   In the silence, things become more apparent, and answers to questions come more easily. This path is just one way to meditate, and there are hundreds of processes available to all people as close as youtube. Log on and look for something that will resonate with you and find a more silent mind. I use an app on my phone to help me called Insight Timer. There are many to provide guidance.

Advantages of Silence

Silent and listening have the same letters, and I don’t believe that is a coincidence. When conversing with someone else, it is a chance to learn and share. Allow another person to express themselves to the silent presence of your attention. Do not think about your response until they are done. This will help you not guess or make assumptions about their point, but to hear the concern, thought, idea, or needed action someone is experiencing. It will also help you grow as a person to remain silent in thought, word, and action when you are having a conversation.

Maintain a focus on learning, not a guide to dictating an answer. This attitude can be helpful in any conversation with your loved ones of any age. Please give them the courtesy of silent listening to all of their concerns. They may not want advice or opinion, and they may wish to express what they think to someone they trust and value. This connection will become evident as you get to the end of a conversation. Being silent is the only way to listen.

Tips for Quieting the Mind

So seek moments that are silent today. Be conscious of it, and even try to create them through a meditative practice that works for you. Raising your consciousness to find and create silent moments with your thoughts, words, and actions will change your life and allow for more meaningful connections with others and yourself as well.

The silence of the Mind Quotes

“I’ve begun to realize that you can listen to silence and learn from it. It has a quality and a dimension all its own.” ~ Chaim Potok

“Never miss a good chance to shut up.” 
― Will Rogers