Most
of us wake up and immediately reach
for a smartphone or rush to the shower. We enter into a hectic ritual within
seconds of waking up and never stop.
Yet, as
we learn more about how the brain works, it might be a terrible idea to keep
doing this. Science now knows we receive a rush of gamma waves to the
right side of the brain when we pause in the morning and avoid jumping right
into stress. You can learn more about how to manage your time in a hectic
world and what happens to our brains when we rest.
Thomas Merton said, “Solitude is not something
you must hope for in the future. Rather, it is a deepening of the present, and unless
you look for it in the present you will never find it.”
Spending time in solitude is actually a very
healthy thing to do—it gives us an opportunity to balance the busyness.
“We live in a 24/7 culture that expects everyone to be on all the
time, but quiet time is immensely restorative,” “You’ll be more present when
you are with others, become more productive, and even show more power and
control in work settings.” As the world gets louder, shutting off is easier
said (or screamed) than done.
Silent prayer is, quite simply, the
practice of sitting in silence, quieting one’s own thoughts, and making oneself
present to God. It is like having the goal of mindfulness or activation, its
purpose is to create space in the mind and in the heart for God — to allow Him
to speak to us in the silence.
Silence triggers mindfulness, which
means you visualise your feelings and emotions with a better perspective, and
it also involves self-compassion, which means handling various situations with
sympathy, kindness and understanding.
The 5-minute silence promise
It’s alluring, isn’t it? The idea
that you could spend only five minutes every day doing relatively
nothing in order to change your whole life. Silence helps you avoid entangling
yourself in the affairs of others; that is why it is encouraged as a
preliminary.
I’m sure
you’ve heard the list, but just in case, silence can:
- Decrease symptoms of stress, anxiety and
depression
- Enhance self-esteem and self-acceptance
- Increase feelings of compassion and connection
with others
- Help you overcome craving and addiction
- Increase grey matter concentration in the
brain’s structures of learning and memory
- Reduce blood pressure
- Better manage pain
These are
wonderful, but I think the biggest benefit of silence is that it reintroduces
you to your essential Self — the luminous Being that is always within. When we
live from this open-hearted place, we show up in the world with presence in any
situation, whether terrifying or thrilling.
By taking the
time to seek what’s within, we begin to embody attention, compassion and
creativity not only in our personal life, but in our work. We’re better
equipped to make good on the universal moral of doing no harm.
Through our own
awakening, we uplift others. “These are all doors into the same room. Find the
[meditations] that are right for you and practice as if your life depended on
it. Because it does, of course.”
Replace
negative thoughts with good thoughts
During your five minutes of silence, there might
be a temptation to think about some conflicts coming up or challenges at work.
In the first five minutes of the day, don't just bounce the idea away. Replace
them with a more positive thought. This is not some weird meditation practice.
It's pure science. Your brain can't think two things at once, so replacing any
negative thoughts with good one’s trains you for the day.
Do these simple steps work? You be the judge. Try
them yourself in your five minutes of silence and let me know if you find your day flows a bit easier.
All Joy Is
Within
All the joy you crave for is in you. But, like a
man who has vast riches in the iron chest but who has no idea where the key is,
you suffer. Hear properly the instructions, dwell upon them in the silence of
meditation, practise what has been made clear therein; then, you can secure the
key, open the chest, and be rich in joy.
Begin YourDay with Silence
Instead of succumbing to the urge of picking up
your phone, switching on the television for the latest news or reading the
newspaper with your morning cup of tea or coffee, you should simply sit relaxed
and silent. Soak in the morning peace and tranquillity and see how it
transforms you, making you feel energetic for the rest of the day.
You need not escape into a forest to gain silence
and the chance of uninterrupted spiritual practice. You can make the place
where you are a citadel of silence; shut off the senses, let them not run after
objects. Your home becomes a hermitage; your spiritual practices will then move
on, without any obstacle.
You must make it a practice to observe silence for
at least 5 minutes daily. It saves your cosmic energy and ensures peace of
mind. You should develop also the discipline of simple living and high
thinking.
The Mind Must Desist from
Wandering
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