“Silence is a source of great strength.”
~Lao Tzu
When in doubt, let stillness permeate your life. Stop…breathe…rest…wait. Be still.
There is no need to rush into things, no need to always know the answer.
When we speed through our lives, overlapping one thing with another, we lose sight of ourselves. We are alienated from reality. We live in our heads – in our thoughts and pictures of what things should be like. And we forge ahead with the power of a tsunami.
But what if you were to stop? Stop thinking, stop doing, stop analyzing, stop the endless loop of stories in your mind.
What would you discover? Here are some possibilities:
- Feelings you have been running from
- Clarity about a situation in your life that you have been unwilling to admit to
- The need to rest and take care of your body
- A spark of creativity
- Enjoyment, wonder, peace
- Something completely unexpected
Stillness is a healing balm. It brings space and wisdom and sanity to our lives.
In stillness,
- we don’t need to know
- we allow things to be as they are
- we realize that life continues perfectly without thinking about it
- we recognize the opportunity for deep relaxation
Stillness returns our attention to the present. We go from living in our thoughts about the past and the future to the glory of now. We are authentic, real, available, accepting. We stop strategizing and open to the reality of our actual experience.
We see the pain and futility of hiding, pretending, avoiding.
How to Be Still
The how-to is simple. Just be still.
Why not try it right now? Draw your attention away from you mind, and explore the reality of this moment. Notice seeing, hearing, touching. Take in the sensations in your body – every tension, every vibration. Make space for your feelings.
* * * * *
Then let go of all the noticing, and just be still. Allow the quiet to pervade your experience – more and more deeply.
* * * * *
Even if this moment is unpleasant in some way, maybe you will recognize that you are alive to it. By being still, you wake up to your life, your experience, the reality of you. It’s refreshing to be still. We put down all the effort, all the trying, and simply relax.
* * * * *
Now go the next step. Instead of resurrecting your usual way of being, let your actions emerge from this stillness. See how everything you do can come naturally, without even thinking about it. Your life unfolds, and at the source of all your experience is stillness. Vast, empty, you.
When in doubt, let stillness permeate your life. Stop…breathe…rest…wait. Be still.
Love,
andre says
Thank you Gail.
I know that place of stillness, I like to be there, but I don’t go there often enough yet. That tsunami, you see…
But this post just took me there. Just like that. So thank you.
Gail Brenner says
Yes, Andre. So simple. Stillness is always here, always available.
Graham Dawson says
What a beautiful post. The sound of stillness rings in my ears. Thank-you.
Gail Brenner says
You are most welcome, Graham.
So great to hear from you! Hope things are well down under…
Karen says
Gorgeous post. Slowly, I am learning to be more and more in that quiet place. Some days I am there more than others. With two littles, it can be extremely challenging but so worth it.
Gail Brenner says
A warm welcome to you, Karen.
Oh, two littles who I am sure are your best teachers. Stillness is always here, even in the midst of the most intense action.
Love to you…
Fr. Michael says
Gail,
A great reminder! Our hearts long for silence and stillness, and yet our lives tend to be filled with so much noise. One of my favorite passages from the Bible is: “Be still and know that I am God.”
Peace and blessings!
Gail Brenner says
Thank you for sharing one of your favorite passages, Father Michael. When we tap into stillness, we are open to realizing the deepest truth.
May we all know the stillness that we are…
Clare says
Such a lovley post. When I was quite young, I happened upon a book titled, “Nurturing Silence in a Noisy Heart”. The title really says it all, doesn’t it. Thank you for reminding me of that and giving my day the peace that only silence and stillness can bring.
Gail Brenner says
What a beautiful title, Clare: Nurturing Silence in a Noisy Heart. It doesn’t matter – noisy heart, noisy mind, noisy day – stillness is always here.
Christopher Foster says
You’re speaking my language Gail. I think stillness is actually a very special language, ultimately perhaps the truest language. In stillness love is to be sensed in its pristine ever true and sponatenous reality.
Gail Brenner says
The language of stillness is not language…words fall away…into….love.
Great to see you here, Chris.
Åsa H says
So simple, yet so difficult sometimes. A beautiful post reminding me of what stillness does for me and how important it is to find that stillness within me as often as I can – even if it’s just a quick visit a few times a day.
Throughout the years I’ve read blog posts, articles and books about finding the stillness. But not until I began meditating a few weeks ago I understood what that really means. Why is it that we can read or hear about things that would benefit us, but we can’t take it to our hearts and try it before it’s absolut necessary? 🙂
Gail Brenner says
A warm welcome to you, Asa.
So glad to hear that the time has been ripe for you to put into practice what you have been reading about. I had the same experience. I kept reading about meditation until one day I told myself it’s time to sit down on the cushion. My whole life shifted in that moment.
We can read forever, but eventually, if we want to know the truth, we need to bring our attention into our own experience. That is where the treasure lies.
And we discover stillness. Always here no matter how much noise and busyness.
Thanks so much for visiting and for your heartfelt comment.
Chris says
Stillness seems elusive because it’s always present. Lurking just behind the curtain of distraction we weave with our thoughts and emotions. I’m no yogi… but I do take precious moments and tap into this stillness. When I feel still… I feel connected to eternity… time loses its construct and stillness becomes constant. It’s like a renewing dip into a vast refreshing pool… a entire vacation experienced in a single instant… and then…
I get back to work. 🙂
Gail Brenner says
Beautiful words, Chris – feeling connected to eternity, renewing dip into a vast refreshing pool… Thank you for sharing them.
I invite you to check and see – isn’t stillness still here even when we are busy and working? Yes, it may seem elusive, but it is our nature – always here – even in the midst of noise. Take any moment when your mind is occupied and you are doing a lot of doing. If you stop, isn’t stillness closer than close?
I’m asking these questions, but I suspect you know this already!
Enjoy yourself….
sarah says
I needed this tonight, as I’m finally embracing stillness and reaping its rewards. It’s hard when those around me want me to push through and don’t trust my own way of navigating through life. Thank you for this…for reminding me to come home to myself and just trust.
Gail Brenner says
Welcome to you, Sarah. I am so glad that you found just what you need.
When we begin to make the choice to embrace stillness, we may very well be taking a path that goes against the grain of the status quo. Most people don’t want to challenge their ways of thinking or know the deepest truth. Navigating our way means welcoming everything – which may include our reactions to others wanting us to be a certain way.
You have found the simple route – come home to yourself and just trust.
I wish you well…
J. K. Rahn says
Hi Gail – always a pleasure.
For the first time in my adult life I have time – retired, no big projects going…… I have time to take care of myself – rest, exercise, healthy food. I have time to be creative – writing, music, art…. But after all of this there are still hours each day. Sometimes that is a great blessing to enjoy. Other times, because of my busy past, it seems like I have just “wasted a day” – something that would have taken me a month to catch up from.
In a couple of days I fly to CA and will spend a month mostly living in your National Parks, etc. It will be an experiment with silence, space, no interruptions, etc. In that silence and space there will be the opportunity to get in touch with me in the now.
Thanks so much for this.
Gail Brenner says
What a blessed life, JK. Enjoy yourself….
Debbie @ Happy Maker says
Hi Gail,
Great exercise. Everyone needs to learn to be still. It is very relaxing and brings you back to life. Thanks for the reminder and tips on doing it. I always find time in the day to be still and let things unfold.
Have a wonderful day,
Debbie
Gail Brenner says
Hi Debbie,
I love that you take time in your day for stillness. Then stillness begins to expand into our whole lives.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience.