The sound of silence

'What is this life if full of care .... We have no time to stand and stare.'


The beginning lines from one of my most favorite poems 'Leisure' by 'W.H.Davies'. Whenever I am busy trying to fit in at least a 100 things in a day....I always think of these lines. Let's face it....we live in a world full of stress and pressure. No matter which part of the world we are in, who we are or what we do, the demands are constant and the pressures incessant....to do, to act, to perform. There is just no escaping that. That is just the way it is.


Sometime back, I was watching a television programme on Yoga where it was recommended to practice at least 10 minutes of meditation every day to relieve stress. Meditation....where you sit down comfortably, close your eyes, block out all thoughts and do NOTHING. Easy enough, right? Not quite so when I first tried it. Because as far as I can remember, I have not really been thought-free. My mind is always filled with to-do lists, things to be done, things to be planned out....the wheels are in constant motion....and yes, just general thoughts too because I do tend to think too much about everything! So to sit down and not have a single thought in my head was quite a challenge. Almost next to impossible, I thought. But I figured it out...how to let my thoughts kind of flow in through one ear and out the other....for the 10 minutes that I was sitting down wanting to do nothing. And that experience....to be thought free and still for 10 minutes....only one word to describe that feeling....Surreal. It was amazing how after those ten minutes I felt instantly relaxed and at peace. In those ten minutes, I heard sounds that have always been around me...but I never did pay any attention to them...the clocks ticking in my house (tick tock tick tock), the birds chirping on the trees outside (so melodious!), my own breathing (in and out, in and out)...and the best and sweetest sound of all...the sound of nothing...the sound of silence (so serene!) And today, meditating for 10 minutes every day has become a wonderful habit....which not only declutters my mind but also completely relaxes me. Simply amazing!


Signing off to go enjoy my 10 minutes of 'NOTHINGNESS' and today, absolutely not one single passing thought in my head.