The Quieter You Become
We live in a culture where being active, busy and productive is considered good and strong, whilst being slow, quiet and gentle is considered by many to be bad or weak. It's not often until we're unwell - being forced to stop, rest and be quiet - that we allow ourselves to take this valuable time-out for ourselves but then often only just enough to get back up on our feet again and on with our busy lives. Perhaps a few weeks a year we get the chance to take a break, but often when we do we try to pack as much as possible in to our holiday itinerary. Where should we eat? What should we see? What should we do?
The eastern philosophies, including that of Yoga, have a lot to say on this topic. Relaxing, slowing down and creating the appropriate environment for self-reflection and self-discovery is a skill, like any other skill, that needs practice. Through out practice, we practice and practice in order to improve, but the real benefits come within the exploration and not the end result - which can prove to be somewhat elusive if we try too hard in our rush to get there.
Giving yourself at least a few minutes of silence and stillness each day in itself will do wonders, allowing a complete reboot to occur within the nervous system which for most of us is bordering on being completely shot, overrun by the constant stream of information that our senses receive every second, minute and hour of the day.
The quieter you become, the more you can hear." Ram Dass
Creating a still and quiet environment is not doing nothing and, like when drinking a glass of pure water after years of drinking only coca cola, may at first appear to be super boring and extremely challenging. But over time, with practice, it gets easier.
Especially for those of us that live in a city, complete silence is extremely rare. In the modern world, even in the middle of nowhere, there is noise, although 'natural' sounds made by the wind, flora & fauna, feel much easier to work with. Trying to find a time or place completely void of noise is therefore futile and will only lead to distraction in your practice. Finding a relatively quite time and place and learning to ignore / incorporate the sounds around you into your practice will lead to a much more beneficial outcome.
This 4 minute preview of a documentary film called In Pursuit of Silence provides a wonderful insight into the effects that noise, and also silence, has on the way we experience our daily lives. of a film called
Actively experience relaxing sounds and also a period of silence during my upcoming Seasonal Yoga Class: Awakening the Body, Breath & Mind for the Spring Equinox, running in St Kilda, Melbourne from 10am (-12noon) on Saturday 23. September 2017.
The Super-Early Bird Price for this event ends 25/08 or when fully booked, so please Contact Me ASAP if you are keen to attend.
Passively experience deep relaxation in my St Kilda treatment room with a Shiatsu or Thai (Remedial) Acupressure Massage, Reflexology or Private Yoga Tuition session.
Private Health Fund Rebates available.
Contact Me with via online enquiry in order to organise your first / next appointment.
I look forward to seeing you soon.
Chris
