The Power of Silence

One of the lessons I’ve learned from my yoga practice is the power of silence. And the rarity of it. Think about it. How much time do you spend in silence each day? Most of us are constantly bombarded by noise of some sort. Maybe it’s the kids yammering. Maybe it’s the background sounds of life in the office or the city. Often, even if we have a chance to experience silence, we turn on the radio in the car or the TV at home.

Years ago, encouraged by my yoga teacher, I experimented with driving with the radio OFF. At first it was a shock to my system. Then I started enjoying this quiet time. The practice continued at home. Was the TV on because there was a show on that I wanted to see? Or was it simply for some sound to block out the stillness. So I did my housework without the TV, radio or CD player blaring.

And you know what happens? My characters speak to me. And I can hear them.

I remember my mom saying, “I can’t hear myself think,” when the world was exploding around her. In the silence created in the vacuum left behind when all the electronic gadgets are turned off, I can hear myself think.

This isn’t the same as meditation where you sit in silence and let the mind grow quiet as well. I’ll talk about that in another post. This silence practice is simply a matter of noticing when we have an opportunity to shut off the outside noise and listen to the quiet.

Try it. Just as a little experiment. Try it for one day. Or really give it shot and try it for a week. But beware. Silence is addictive. And powerful.