Enjoy this re-post and Middle Ground pause.
Place of silence Photography by Ingo Dumreicher
“There’s nothing to prove, nothing to figure out, nothing to get, nothing to understand.
When we finally stop explaining to ourselves, we may discover that in silence, complete understanding is already there.”
Steve Hagen
Within nothing is everything
Beyond everything is nothing
When the unknown becomes known there is nothing to know
Let it be found in stillness
Photo by Alfredson Jr on Pexels.com
“Our quest does not involve taking on more ways of describing. It involves removing all descriptions so that we may come home free and dwell in endless silence. Anyone who has had an experience of that silence knows that it cannot be adequately described in words. It can only be lived.
Silence cannot be manipulated. It can’t be pushed or forced. It can only be experienced as a living embodiment, as a presence that is expressing through us. We are merely its instrument.”
~ Stephen R Schwartz from “Problems are the Doors Through which we Find Peace”
I am reacquainting myself with the writing of Stephen R Schwartz and his work on being compassionate towards our own anger, guilt and pain. When we turn with love towards these feelings, instead of condemning them, hiding them or resisting them, we open the door towards healing the wounds from the past.
When we look at these feelings honestly we discover that beneath them is a yearning and longing for acceptance and love.
On the path to awakening, our heart must open to all aspects of ourselves in order to find the peace we are all longing for.
This is the most important step for us all on our quest for silence.
Without self compassion and kindness, peace cannot survive.
Namaste
Find your Middle Ground is about stepping away from stressful days and anxious minds, and taking time to pause.
When we are mindful of the present moment and simply allow it to be, we open a door to our natural state of being – accepting, loving, peaceful, kind and content. Most of us are so distracted and moving so fast that we get caught up in the world of “doing” or worrying about what we should be doing next.
Too much doing and thinking disconnects us from our sense of “being”and who we really are.
I write about finding this place of connection, contentment and peace in the highs and lows of life. I call it our Middle Ground.
Namaste
Instructions
Hold the silence like
a mother holds her child.
Hold your ground while
all around you structures
crumble into nothing.
Focus on the still point
in your center until you
are filled with light, until
Spirit speaks to you in
words you understand,
until the love in your
heart grows so strong
it must be shared.
~ Danna Faulds
Keep sharing the love my friends 💛
“Everything worthwhile for the soul is gained through silence. When you verbalize, you’ve moved into your head.”
Yogi Amrit Desai
Practicing silence means making a commitment to take a certain amount of time to be with yourself. To simply Be.
It may seem obvious, but to experience silence means periodically withdrawing from talking, interacting or using our brain for a specific purpose.
Its a conscious letting go. It’s also periodically withdrawing from activities such as watching television, listening to music or reading a book.
If you never give yourself the opportunity to experience silence, this creates turbulence in your internal dialogue. It increases your inner chatter and clutter.
So lets set aside a time every once in a while to experience silence. Or simply make a commitment to maintain silence for a certain period each day. You can do it for one hour, two or more… one day two or more.
Initially your internal dialogue will become more turbulent and loud. You and your ego will feel an intense need to say things, and a sense of urgency and anxiety may take over.
Stay with the experience, and you will find the internal dialogue quietens and the silence becomes profound.
I came across this light and engaging article that you might enjoy. “The Splendid Spiritual Practice of Silence” is about a young monk’s experience of being silent for a year. You can read it by clicking here.
Mum’s the word … that speaks to the soul.
“When you become aware of silence, immediately there is that state of inner still alertness. You are present. You have stepped out of thousands of years of collective human conditioning.”
Eckhart Tolle
What a great reminder that we can be more than beings of habit and conditioning. Becoming the witness to this inner still alertness, opens a door within each of us. The door that leads to freedom and peace.
That is how yoga and meditation enriches my life. I have just returned from a YTT 500 hour teacher training module about Yoga and Transformation at Kripalu.
I see clearly that it takes dedication and a willingness to put in effort, to get to this place of inner freedom and peace.
Being disciplined was never a strength of mine – I rebelled against being told what to do, even by myself! Until I realized that discipline comes from the word disciple meaning follower.
What do I choose to follow? Can I continue to do this? This becomes a much more loving approach…. and one that I continue to take.
Beating myself up for being weak or not being good enough will never make it happen.
Reading about it and expecting it to magically happen will never be enough either.
The answer lies in each of our own experience, and tuning into to this still alertness within us. This is the spark that is alive in us. In each moment.
When we find ourselves off the path, remember that the inner stillness and alertness is just a breath away.
Why not take this moment and let yourself come to this place right now….
Namaste
