Week 50 - The Power of Silence

Week 50 Activity

THE POWER OF SILENCE

How often do you explore silence? How frequently do you 

turn off the radio and the television, take some time out on 

your own and be with yourself without any distraction? We 

are often nervous of silence, as there is nowhere to hide: 

when we practice a period of silence and forgo checking 

emails and social media, chatting to friends, and even 

reading a book or newspaper, we inevitably come up 

against ourselves. Going on retreat is a traditional way to 

experience an extended period of practice and silence, 

but if that isn't possible, you can create your own silent 

retreat at home. 

Choose a specific period of time; this will vary according to your circumstances. Perhaps experiment with a couple of hours initially, or half a day.

Plan your time so that you know what you are going to do next. A retreat is never just one long sitting practice, but instead is broken up into shorter periods of practice, including regular movement such as walking practice, yoga, or qi gong.

Collect guided practices from different teachers to bring some variety into the mix (CDs or downloads are a good place to start). As well as including the traditional sitting practices, you could try a Mountain meditation (see page 156) or a Self-compassion practice (see page 144) as well as lying-down practices such as a Body Scan (see page 17). Make sure always to include some movement between periods of sitting.

Also include some eating practice if you can. Prepare food that is particularly fresh and tasty (see page 56).

You may find journaling helpful, too, use it to reflect on the practices, and perhaps also explore some of the writing practices in this book (see pages 12, 74, 182, and 184).

An extended period of meditation helps to deepen our practice. As always, we are not looking for a particular experience or to create a certain state of mind. It is rather an opportunity to notice how the weather of moods can vary from hour to hour, and even minute by minute. It may be challenging at times, so it can be helpful to remind ourselves that we don't have to enjoy it. Simply let the time unfold and explore what arises.

Don't forget to turn off and unplug your cellphone, and whatever you do, refrain from posting meditation selfies!