Listening to our inner voice it can only happen if our mind is silent and uncluttered. How do you practice inner silence?
I love the sea, I love its scent, its noise, its majesty, its freedom. I love being silent with my eyes closed listening and feeling its powerful energy.
Have you ever walked by the sea and all of a sudden you got hit by a wave?
It happened to me, as the sea could be calm welcoming and reassuring you and then all of a sudden a high wave arrives.
But are we sure that the sea has not given us any signals? Are we sure that deep down somewhere there was not the principle of that wave? And if we had looked a little further, and if we had listened more deeply we would have seen and perhaps we would have had the time to not get wet from head to toe?
To me, that I like always to find the connections with what happens in Nature and what happens to “us” as elements of Nature even if we often forget it … It makes me think that this is what happens when we don’t listen to ourselves, yes, because our body, our mind, and our soul also give us continuous signals which are the compass of what happens inside us …
How many times have you ever said: “it’s just a headache”, “it’s just a stomach ache”, “I can’t sleep because today at work it was a busy day” or maybe “my breath is a little shorter”.
Could be that our body asks us more attention?
If we do not listen to the signals that our body sends us, maybe to say “hey, it’s not be the case to slow down”, what could happen?
It happens that time flow and that voice becomes a scream … initially it could be just a sign of something wrong, but if we keep ignoring it, then, as powerful as that wave that breaks on the rocks, it arise “something” much more intense that forces us to stop.
So, it requires to take care of us, to stay with us, to stop and understand what’s wrong.
But how do we listen to it before something bigger happens?
Listening to our inner voice, or inner wisdom, it can only happen if our mind is silent and uncluttered.
How do you practice inner silence?
I have heard many times say that if one has “too much to do” it is impossible, and nowadays, we all have that “too much to do”.
However, I truly believe that it’s also possible to learn the art of listening in this rushing life, slowing down for a moment, and focusing on our most real and deeper part of ourselves, from where it can emerge, not only great intuitions and ideas that are based on a true, ancient and wise knowledge but also where there is the space to “feel ourselves”.
We are not used to silence as we consistently need something to distract us, and this noise mainly distract us from our true self, our mind requires exercises as our body and meditation train our mind to regulate itself. It helps us to focus on one object without break, as for example, the sensation associated with inhalation and exhalation during the natural breath process.
Sitting in silence paying attention to the breath, leads over time, to the development of clarity and calm. In this state of mind, it’s possible to realize more clearly tensions, expectations, and dissolve them with the exercise of an intense and delicate discovery at the same time.
Then there are those who ask me “ do I have to meditate?” … the point is not the act itself of “meditating” but the important thing is “what happens” in that space … and what happens is “to feel myself”, therefore “I can listen to myself” …
It’s also possible to sustain meditation during daily activity, and not only when sitting still in a certain place. Attention can be drawn to the movement of the body, to the physical sensations, or to the thoughts and feelings’ flow. This is defined as ‘presence’, or awareness.
And then we could slow down and try the precious gift of observing, feeling, taking care of ourselves and learning the art of listening to that “sea”, that infinite and silent space that is within us …
So, have a good listening!