Finding a point of stillness......

 

This is a miniature painting of an imagined "hide-away". A tranquil, still place that I can visit when life seems chaotic and my mind restless.

"It is in stillness, that the greatest thoughts are born", words that have lingered with me for years, although whether I made them up or someone else did, I am not sure.

Is stillness the same as silence? Is silence needed for us to experience stillness? Commonly, silence is defined as the absence of sound, whereas "stillness", I have found is often referred to as "state"; the state of being still, quiet, and or calm.

 Pushing a "mute" button may be effective in achieving silence, but will it also offer stillness?

For some of us, silence can be quite confrontational if we live in an environment full of sounds such as traffic, people hustling and bustling, trains, planes, construction work, sirens of many different varieties, schools, restaurants, ringing telephones, clattering keyboards, music, etc. etc.

On top of these sounds, we may also have our own supply of sounds in the form of any of the myriad of "i-thingy's" (i-phone, i-pad, i-pod, etc.) available.

Some of us turn on the TV or radio the minute we wake up, or when we come home from work/school/being "out", and only turn it off when we go to bed. Some of us turn on the TV/radio/i-thingy/"tranquillity machine" to help us fall asleep when we go to bed; not really listening, but having the sounds in the background assisting us in calming our busy minds.

Yet for some of us, the less noise (sounds), the better.

Stillness, it seems to me, is possible to be experienced with or without sound; silence may be helpful for some us to experience it, but it does not seem to necessitate it.

While walking with a friend on the beach, talking about all sorts, my friend suddenly stopped and looked at me and said: "You don't have an off-switch, do you?" Bewildered I asked: "What do you mean?" "You seem to have a mind that never stops, .... do you ever stop thinking?" she asked. 

"Hmmm..... I guess not, let me think about it," I answered.

"I think you need to find a point of stillness," she said," like an off-switch." 

Okay, so where does one find an "off-switch" then? I had tried meditation, but it just didn't work for me.

My mind while trying to meditate:  Stop thinking?? Emptying the mind?? How?? Man, this is so un-comfortable. I am hungry. Think I'll buy some food after this. It's started to rain...did I wind the windows up? Sheesh, what's that smell? Why OHM...why not UMMM? I wonder how long we are supposed to sit in this un-comfortable pose? My legs are falling asleep. Are we allowed to drink water? I am thirsty. Why can't this be done laying down?

Meditation was not the off-switch for me, but I did get the point; finding a point of stillness was probably a good idea.

These are some of the different things I tried: sitting by the ocean and focusing all my attention on the sound of the waves, listening to some instrumental music focusing on only one of the instruments, looking at an image and connecting only with how I am responding emotionally to the image, eating/drinking something and only focus my attention on what it tastes like, and what has proved to be very helpful; saying the word "calm" quietly over and over. In short; being in the moment, a whole hearted, and complete participation in that moment.

 

“Be still.
Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity” (Lao Tzu)

 

“Our refuge is being exactly where we are - not dramatizing problems by replaying them in our heads, telling stories to our friends, eliciting sympathy and convincing ourselves that this is a very big deal. Our refuge is in the stillness of being the compassionate witness to our panic and fear - not judging it as good or bad, just accepting the what is of the moment.” (Charlotte Kasl)

 

“Connect with your inner self. A beautiful sanctuary exists within you. A place of total calm. A connection to stillness. A temple of sacredness, peace, beauty, love. Once you are truly at this infinite inner place, your true home, you will be at home anywhere, at anytime, with anyone. A place where INFINITE possibility exists.”

(Angie Karan Krezos)

  

This little visualisation may be helpful: Visualise sitting in a car with the gear in neutral. The engine is still running, everything is functional, yet the car is standing still.

Many of us live in a world full of things/people/events constantly stimulating our senses; taking some time out every now and then to find a point of stillness may offer us the chance to hear our inner voices and remember who we are.