My last day of silence was more sublime than many. For some reason I really took the day to “dial out” – I slept in later than usual, didn’t go on to any of my electronic devices to play my morning games or look at messages or news. I spent time pruning out some bittersweet, hanging with the horses and cats, doing some slow yoga…It was a particularly mindful day and as I went to sleep that night there was a very distinct, cellular experience of “coolness” throughout my body. A deep, deep calm, quiet and relaxation.
I was thinking of this when I came across this recent article – a new Tik Tok trend called “Silent walking” – which evidently is all the rage at the moment. My first reaction was “are you kidding?” Simply going for a walk and being present to your surroundings seems so not rocket science in terms of its impact on health and well-being. However, after my day of silence, it occurred to me that there was perhaps some lovely words of wisdom in helping people really “dial out” deliberately and find a way to make this a consistent practice. One without earpods. So, in the spirit of sharing a global “trend” here is a somewhat abbreviated version of this spreading invitation and phenomenon.
May you find your personal gateway to Being and silence,
Peri and Barbara