Discovering the Inner Silence: Embracing the Quiet Within and Overcoming the Busy Mind Through Meditation

Meditation often gets misunderstood as a practice where you force your mind to stop thinking. The truth is different: meditation invites you to enter the quiet that already exists inside you. This subtle but powerful shift in understanding can transform how you approach meditation and your daily life.

Understanding the Quiet Within

The mind is naturally busy, filled with thoughts, worries, and distractions. Trying to silence it by force usually leads to frustration. Instead, meditation helps you recognise the calm space beneath the noise. This quiet is always present, like a still ocean beneath the ripples and sometimes turbulent waves on the surface.

When you meditate, you don’t push thoughts away. You allow them to pass without attachment, you do not create any new thoughts nor add to thoughts that vie for your attention. This process reveals the inner silence that is your natural state. A stillness beyond the mind, a silence that speaks.

How to Enter the Quiet Within

Here are practical steps to help you embrace the quiet through meditation:

• Meditate on an empty stomach

Meditating with an empty stomach, having waited at least 2.5 hours between meals, is most beneficial.

• Find a comfortable position

Sit in a way that feels relaxed but alert. Your body should be supported without tension. Aim to keep the spine straight with the head tilted so there is a natural focus between the eyebrows.

• Focus on your breath

Notice the sensation of air entering and leaving your body. Let your breath be natural, not forced.

• Observe thoughts without judgment

When thoughts arise, acknowledge them without getting involved.

• Return gently to your breath

Each time your mind wanders, bring your attention back to breathing. When you notice your mind has wondered you have become conscious again.

• Practice regularly

Gradually increase the duration of your practice, as beginning with just 2 minutes a day can enhance your capacity to reach inner silence. Consistency is more important than the length of time spent.

Benefits of Embracing Inner Silence

Entering the quiet within through meditation offers many benefits supported by research and experience:

• Reduced stress and anxiety

Quieting the mind lowers stress hormones and calms the nervous system.

• Improved focus and clarity

Regular meditation sharpens attention and helps you respond rather than react.

• Greater emotional balance

Observing thoughts without judgement helps you to disidentify from the mind, body and emotions.

• Enhanced creativity and problem-solving

Inner silence opens space for fresh ideas and new perspectives. For the Truth to be realised.

Tips for Deepening Your Practice

To deepen your connection with inner silence, try these approaches:

• Use guided meditations

Beginners frequently benefit from guided sessions to maintain focus, yet practicing 'sitting in silence' without a guide is crucial for personal development and self-realisation.

• Create a dedicated space

A quiet, comfortable spot signals your mind that it’s time to relax.

• Be patient and kind with yourself

Meditation is a skill that develops as you practice. Refrain from criticising yourself if your mind feels active. It's common for the mind to become even busier when you initially begin meditating; this is a positive indication. You are becoming calm enough to notice the busy mind clearly. This will diminish as you commit to your practice.

• Explore different techniques

Breath awareness, body scans, or mantra repetition can all lead you to the quiet.

Meditation is not about emptying your mind by force. It is about gently discovering the quiet that has always been there, beneath the surface of your thoughts. The more you focus on the quiet the more the mind becomes still. So, meditation is a change of focus from the busy mind to the quiet stillness within.

This quiet stillness has its own intelligence, a voice that speaks Truth. By practicing regularly, you can access this inner silence and bring more awareness and joy into your life. One day, as you dedicate your self to your practice, you will become a walking meditation, bringing mindful awareness into every choice and action.

Join me in our healing and meditation weekly group.

Love Mary x