3 Ways Silent Meditation Brings Happiness
Most of us could probably benefit from taking time out from our noisy, fast-paced and over-stimulated lives. The reality is that all too many people never seem to find the time until either they either reach a breaking point or something sends them over the edge.
Now if you like living a hectic and rushed lifestyle then, by all means, keep up the good work. But if you don’t, then perhaps it might be worthwhile taking the time to think about some simple ways you can improve the quality of your life through using the power of intentional silence.
Intentional silence means that you are actively taking time out for the purpose of engaging in a period of silence. The intention behind is is to reduce your stress levels and to reclaim calm, clarity and peace of mind back into your day. This then allows you to re-charge and re-focus on what’s important and to have the inner resources to handle it.
There’s a ton of research available on the benefits of silence for your mind, body, and spirit. Even prayer is considered a form of silence that is practiced by millions around the world. If you think about it, some of the most profound moments of your life probably arose from a moment of quiet contemplation, or when you stop being distracted for a moment.
Meditation is one of the simplest ways to access the life-enhancing power of silence and is currently being used by people from all walks of life. This includes Fortune 500 companies, CEO’s, Celebrities, and thought leaders around the world all who are looking to use purposeful silence to quiet the mind and create extraordinary results.
A Simple 10-Minute Silent Meditation
I often get asked what is the best time of day to meditate. I always recommend that if you can, invest some time in the morning to enjoy some intentional silence. The reason for this is simple. It helps you start the day feeling centered and energized. When you start the day in this way, then this is the energy that you carry with you through the rest of the day.
Alternatively, you can get up in the morning and start the day feeling tired, lethargic, rushed, or frazzled, and that is the energy that you will carry with you throughout the day. Funnily enough, how you choose to start the day will always set the tone for how your day unfolds – every single time!
The way to experience more silence in your life is through quieting the mind so that there is less noise in your head. The best way to quiet the mind is not through trying to force it to stop thinking, but instead to be more observant and non-judgmental towards it.
Here’s a simple 10-minute meditation to help get your day off to a happy, healthy, and enjoyable start by practicing being non-judgmental with the mind.
Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit. make sure your back is as straight as possible on a chair, couch, or on a cushion on the floor.
Begin by taking three slow, deep breaths, right down into your belly. Breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth. Then, after you have taken 3 slow, deep breaths, allow your breathing to return to normal.
Relax the muscles of the body, and with your eyes closed tell the mind, “It’s okay! Do whatever you want to do.” Then, just watch what the mind does.
Don’t be surprised if when you give the mind permission to do what it wants that it goes quiet for a few moments before it starts working again. When the thoughts and images start coming again, and as soon as you become aware of it, then focus your attention and tell the mind, “It’s okay! Do whatever you want”. Then watch as the mind goes quiet for a few moments.
Continue to meditate in this way for 10-minutes. Constantly reminding yourself to tell the mind that it is okay to do whatever it wants – and then watch what happens. Just by learning to become an observer of the mind and thoughts, you will find that your moments of silence get bigger and the mind relaxes and becomes naturally quiet.
This is a very simple, yet powerful technique to clear the mind and center yourself just by sitting and being intentionally silent.
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Michael Atma
Meditation Dojo Blog
Skype: michaelatma
Email: Michael@MichaelAtma.com
“I Teach You how to live a Happier, Healthier and More Fulfilling Life in Just 5 Minutes a Day!”