I’ve begun to realize that you can listen to silence and learn from it. It has a quality and a dimension all its own.
-Chaim Potok, The Chosen

Here we go! The extra high speed season has arrived. Very soon we’ll have parties to attend, gifts to buy and meals to prepare. I must admit I do love this time of year, as Christmas is a time of celebration that fortunately revolves around friends and family. Unfortunately, I have yet to discover how to avoid the chaotic and frantic mode that I take full responsibility of putting myself in. In other words, I epitomize the definition of insanity (doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result), as I have great intentions of living a harmonious holiday, yet year after year I find myself repeating the same behaviors but expecting a different result (ugh!). It is for this reason that I continuously seek inspiration and wisdom about ways to remain centered without the unnecessary and unwanted stress of overspending and overdoing, which is contrary to the season I believe in.

Thankfully, this morning while attending a Sunday School class I received the inspiration I was looking for. It is not a new or foreign concept to you or I, but the timing and delivery was spot on. I’ll put it in one delicious word: Savasana, which is great on a daily basis but is dire during the holidays when emotions naturally run high.

I know what you are thinking —  Sure Neissa, a daily Savasana sounds great (in theory), but the reality is that I don’t have time for it and if I do enjoy a daily Savasana, I’ll fall asleep!  Yes, in theory, a daily and reflective Savasana would be ideal, however just lying down in “dead body pose” is not the goal. The objective is to find time each day for your body to be inactive and your mind to be silent so that your spirit can be rejuvenated from the inside out.

So, what does this mean? It means sitting on your front porch, lying in a bubble bath, sitting on a park bench, or hiding in a closet (from your kids). It can be anywhere for any amount of time, just as long as it’s in total silence and you can catch your breath and get re-centered. And, unlike what we are trained to think, inactivity can be productive and silence definitely has substance –especially during the fast-paced holiday season.

Finally, I understand that the idea of enjoying a still and silent moment each day sounds simple, however it goes against everything our culture tells us. Therefore, if one minute of inactivity and silence feels  uncomfortable, know you are in good company. Building endurance for silence and stillness is no different than building endurance for activity. It can be painful and take time, but is well worth it!

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Point To Ponder:
Do you ever give yourself a still and silent moment?

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Action Item:
Spend time every day to be still and silent.

To your health,

Neissa

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