Silence is Golden

Silence is golden.  We've all heard this phrase before.  Maybe we remember seeing it at our school library when we were kids... or now-a-days it's a common reminder on the big screen when we visit our favorite movie theater.

This past weekend, I was able to experience this phrase in a completely different and powerful way.  I attended a weekend silent retreat at Kula Kamala Foundation and Yoga Ashram near Reading, PA.  This wasn't my first silent retreat; I've had a few other experience in the past.  But if you've never attended one (or even heard of such a thing!), you may be wondering "What exactly is involved in a silent retreat and why bother?"

The main purpose of attending a silent retreat is to get away from the distractions and engagements of daily life so we may allow ourselves to go inward and gain more self-awareness.  In yoga, this practice of keeping silence is called mauna and is considered a key principle leading to Self-Realization.

But even if you're not a spiritualist who is interested in knowing his/her 'Higher Self', practicing segments of silence every day can be beneficial on a very practical level too.  In a world full of many distractions and over-stimulation, regular silence can provide an opportunity to re-center, re-ground and gain more clarity.

From a physiological standpoint, silence helps:

• • Lower blood pressure, which can help prevent heart attack.
  • Boost the body's immune system.
  • Benefit brain chemistry by growing new cells. A 2013 study found that two hours of silence could create new cells in the hippocampus region, a brain area linked to learning, remembering, and emotions.
  • Decrease stress by lowering blood cortisol levels and adrenaline. Furthermore, according to a 2006 study in Heart, two minutes of silence relieves tension in the body and brain and is more relaxing than listening to music. This was attributed to changes in blood pressure and blood circulation in the brain.
  • Promote good hormone regulation and the interaction of bodily hormone-relate systems.
  • Prevent plaque formation in arteries.**

And of course, there are psychological and emotional benefits as well including:

• • greater relaxation
  • better sleep
  • boosted creativity
  • improved awareness - of your environment and yourself
  • greater clarity.

So I invite you to add at least 10 minutes of complete silence (no talking, reading, writing, cell phones, devices, gadgets, etc.) and stillness (sitting or lying down without sleeping) to your day.  And once it becomes a bit more familiar to you, maybe gradually increase that amount to one hour a day.  This is the goal that I've set for myself... so maybe you'll want to 'play along with me'?!  🙂

Perhaps the easiest way is to do a non-guided meditation by focusing on your breathing or watching your thoughts without engaging them (as if your thoughts are being projected on the screen of your mind like a movie.)  If you're not used to it, it may feel really uncomfortable at first.  You may even notice emotions like frustration, annoyance and even anger bubble up.  Just see if you can BREATHE through it and BE with it.

Then stick with it!  Like anything, it will become more familiar and easier with time and practice.:-)  And while there's no writing during the practice of silence, I encourage you to journal about your experience afterward if you feel moved to do so.  Also, please post your comments below... I always love to hear from you!

Silently Yours,

Sheetal

** From https://psychcentral.com/blog/the-hidden-benefits-of-silence/