Zen For Everyday Life : Breathe Into Stillness

Welcome to "Breathe Into Stillness", the first track in Quiet Summit’s "Zen for Everyday Life" series. This five-part collection is designed to help you bring mindfulness and calm into the center of your daily routine. In this session, you’ll be guided into gentle awareness of the breath, discovering the stillness that’s always present beneath thought and activity. With original music, soft pads, and a grounding drone created to support your practice, this meditation will help you release tension, steady the mind, and reconnect with a sense of ease. Best experienced with headphones, it’s an invitation to settle in and feel more anchored, open, and at peace.

Transcript

Welcome,

And thank you for joining me.

This meditation is titled,

Breathe into Stillness.

It's the first meditation in the Zen for Everyday Life series.

In Zen,

There is a common saying,

When you truly become one with silence,

You realize that there is nothing lacking.

The silence contains all things.

Silence is not emptiness.

It's alive,

Complete,

Always present.

Yet in daily life,

Silence is often buried under thoughts,

Noise,

And the urge to keep moving and keep doing.

Today's practice is an invitation to rest in that nourishing silence.

We won't try to make the mind quiet.

Instead,

We'll use the breath as a guide,

And we'll notice the stillness that's already here.

Let's begin.

Find a position that feels easy and relaxed.

Maybe you're seated with your back upright,

But not too stiff,

Or maybe lying down with your arms resting naturally at your sides.

Whatever serves you best,

Go ahead and take that shape now.

When you're ready,

Close your eyes.

Begin to notice your breath,

Air moving in,

Air moving out,

The gentle rise and fall in your belly.

Don't try to change it.

Just notice it.

Let's take three slow breaths together.

Inhale through your nose,

And now exhale through your mouth.

Inhale through your nose,

And exhale through your mouth,

And inhale through your nose,

And one final long exhale out of your mouth.

Now,

Go ahead and let your breath return to its natural rhythm.

I'd like you to imagine that each inhale opens a doorway into silence,

And each exhale is a gentle step inside.

As you breathe,

Begin to notice the space between breaths.

See if you can rest there for just a moment without trying to hold your breath.

How does that silence feel?

Spacious?

Perhaps it's a soft stillness.

Notice the way your body is settling into the silence.

Perhaps you sense a lightness,

As though the air itself is holding you.

Allow yourself to lean just a little more into the stillness.

Let's take a few minutes to rest here together,

Breathing in and out,

Letting silence hold us.

If any thoughts appear during this time,

That's okay.

Let them pass,

Like clouds crossing a bright sky.

Notice how the silence wraps around even the smallest sounds.

Return again to the breath and the stillness beneath it.

As we come toward the end of this practice,

Begin to sense the room around you,

The sounds,

The sense,

The light.

When you're ready,

Gently open your eyes.

As we close,

Consider these words from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

Silence is essential.

We need silence just as much as we need air,

Just as much as plants need light.

I invite you to carry a piece of that silence into the rest of your day.

Thank you for practicing with me.

You are always welcome here.

Namaste.

Reviews

Warm and welcoming voice. Not at all preachy. Simple ideas to insteuct and inspire. Thank you 🙏💞