Pockets of Silence

Mini meditation and mindfulness sessions

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Learn to be silent. Let your quiet mind listen and absorb. – Pythagoras

Silence is powerful – It allows us the stillness and space to take rest from the busyness and noise of the external world.

Silence offers us the calmness of mind and clarity to bring us to a state of serenity where our nervous system, our mind and body can rest into peace and healing can occur.

Listen and silent are spelled with the same letters – Something to think about.

Silence is not an absence rather it is a presence, a meditative act of consciousness that brings us to a state of greater awareness and connection to the moment we are in. We can begin to come to a deeper sense of connection with our true nature; the power of our mind and intuition and the interconnected nature of the universe through regular pockets of silence.

 I think 99 times and find nothing. I stop thinking, swim in the silence and the truth comes to me.  – Albert Einstein

The human spirit and body crave silence and rest, yet for so many the act of giving one’s self time for stillness and silence to rest, restore and recover from the chaos of today’s world, the common (and misguided) mantra of “I don’t have time” unfortunately wins over all too often. The science tells us that even with the relatively short time of five to ten minutes, we can still experience significant benefits as you can see below with the information from Andrew D. Huberman Ph.D.

I highly recommend the podcasts presented by Andrew D. Huberman Ph.D. – A neuroscientist who has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills and cognitive functioning. (source Andrew Huberman, Ph.D.,)

Sure, I have been a student, practitioner and teacher of meditation for years (Mind on Meditation™ – meditation and mindfulness course) and I generally do longer sessions than five minutes however I also catch powerful pockets of silence when I can through shorter meditation and mindfulness sessions.

How can you include regular pockets of silence – mini meditation and mindfulness sessions with your everyday life?

  • Make time for regular five-minute mini meditation practice – sit comfortably, gently close your eyes and relax into deep nasal breathing – close your mouth, take four deep breaths through your nose, exhale to the count of four, hold for four and repeat
  • Commit to eating at least one meal a day in silence. You might be surprised at how much better the food tastes and how much less you eat
  • Showering – When you are under the running water, start focusing on the sounds of the water and the feeling of water on your skin. Focus your awareness on the temperature and the texture on your skin. Breathe deeply for just one minute
  • When you are a passenger in the car let your driver who might be your partner, friend or colleague know that you are taking five minutes to meditate
  • For every half-hour (30 minutes) on social media, stop and take five minutes to sit in silence, meditate and calm your body, brain and mind
  • If you are on a flight, sit comfortably, relax in your seat, close your eyes and relax into deep breathing (here’s a tip – Let the flight crew know that you will be meditating at times and if your eyes are closed not to disturb you)
  • Public transport – if you have a seat, sit comfortably, gently close your eyes and relax into deep nasal breathing

As you start to create a pattern of pockets of  silence – meditation and mindfulness into your daily life, you will begin to notice how much easier it is to drop into a more meditative state and when your breathing deepens how much calmer your body, brain and mind feel – you start to crave the slowness and stillness more often and you realize that you have always had time for meditation and mindfulness.

Interested to now learn meditation and mindfulness and include a regular pattern of pockets of silence in your everyday life? You are curious, have questions and want to learn more? Feel free to check out the The Mind on Meditation™ – meditation and mindfulness course and to reach out to me with any questions or to discuss your bespoke course.

REST is SACRED

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We are living in a culture where being pathologically busy is the norm and where rest is riskily underrated. Hands up if you find it challenging to give yourself the time out to rest; to give your mind, body and spirit a decent respite with the opportunity to unplug from our often too hectic world. Can you allow yourself the time and space to ease into the bliss of nothingness?

Rest is fundamental for enhancing our health, happiness and our capacity to achieve our personal goals and success in life.  We need rest for mental health and cognitive function; improving and balancing our moods, memory and concentration. Rest is imperative for reducing stress, enhancing a healthier immune system while promoting well-being. When we sleep soundly, some of our physiological systems such as our digestive system have the opportunity to rest and in doing so can improve our metabolism and help us to manage our weight more effectively.

Rest isn’t simply about sleep –  humans also need “Waking Rest”.  In the article, “Exercise, sleep, nutrition and waking rest” published in 2019 by the Oxford Academic, the authors explain that, “Waking rest is a period of quiet, reflective thought that allows the brain time to consider and process whatever arises spontaneously. Waking rest can last from 5 to 20 minutes once or multiple times per day, and should take place in an area where the participant feels safe, comfortable, and can remain uninterrupted by outside influences. It is void of effortful, focused thought and distracting stimuli such as watching television and engaging in social media.” Read more…