Silence and peace of mind
Are you beginning to feel overwhelmed, maybe even burnt out? This is the time of year where activities begin to shift into overdrive as the weather warms up and the days get just a little bit longer. If you can relate to the question above then I would like to share with you how you can discover the sweetness internally and externally when you become silent.
This is a wonderful time of year to indulge in a “Silent Retreat.” I have done this quite of few times and it is one of my favorite things to do to release and re-set my mind and body. In our society we have become so used to living life with a sense of urgency. Everything we do now is done at a rapid pace and sometimes we still feel that things aren’t happening as fast as they should. It has become the normal way to exist for people to be operating with the unnecessary urgency 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Eventually what happens is this sense of urgency begins to take a toll on our mind and our body. We begin to form internal stress responses as well as absorbing more external stress factors and this creates an imbalance within us. If this imbalanced is prolonged we will begin to exhibit signs and symptoms of stress as the toxins from the stress move deeper into our tissues. We are not meant to operate at high levels of stress all the time but what is fascinating is that we can discover the sweetness of life again when we take a Silent Retreat.
At a Silent Retreat there is no talking. There are usually activities that take place but the activities are done in silence, such as meditations, yoga and pranayama (a Ayurvedic breathing exercise). The only person that will speak is the person leading the retreat. You get an opportunity to bring full awareness to how you feel internally and you actually get to listen and hear how you talk to yourself internally. What also makes this special is that everyone is having their own unique experience, silently.
It is believed that observing silence is a beautiful way to cultivate awareness and being in the present moment, really able to fully engage in the relationship with your internal and external self. When you spend time in silence you begin to realize that you do not have to respond to the small things that occur around you and you have the power within not to respond. It really is a beautiful awakening.
Silent retreats can be anywhere from a few hours to weeks or longer. Although a silent retreat is a beautiful way to treat the mind and the body, I would not call it a vacation or even put it in that classification. Because a Silent Retreat is a deeper level of nurturing, I recommend starting with a Silent Retreat that is just a few hours long or maybe an 8 hour time period. You can always take longer retreats as you get more comfortable with the practice.
The last benefit that I would like to share about taking a Silent Retreat is that it is a wonderful way to detoxify the mind, restore clarity, focus, sharpness and vibrancy to the mind.
To discover the sweetness of silence, once must learn to indulge in the pleasure of the experience.
Wishing you much health and wellness!
Namaste,
Rochele Lawson, RN,AHP,CMS
