Greetings and welcome to the Why Struggle Podcast.
I'm your host,
Barbara J.
Faison,
And my intention with this podcast is to offer ideas,
Insights,
And inspirations so you can live life better.
Greetings and welcome to 2025 Week 27,
Embracing Silence.
If you're new to the podcast,
Welcome.
And if you listen regularly,
Thank you.
This is a podcast about embracing silence as a practice.
Today,
As I was cutting fruit,
I allowed myself to do one thing.
Cut the fruit.
No television,
Music,
Radio,
Or podcast.
Just me and the fruit I was preparing.
I was home alone,
And I was in silence.
And it felt awesome.
I was focused and intentional,
And the fruit tasted delicious as I was nibbling whilst cutting.
I must say,
I really have come to enjoy the quiet.
At one time,
Silence for me felt very scary.
I would dread not having something to distract me.
With practice,
I have learned to relish silence.
In the silence,
I hear the gentle whooshing of the fan as I lie in bed in the mornings before I get up.
I hear the birds singing and inviting me to come outside to see what the weather feels like.
I have learned to be with my feelings and emotions so much better since I have been embracing silence as a daily practice.
Silence is my intimate partner on life's journey.
In the silence,
I remind myself to be open and receptive to receive answers to questions I may have.
I also learn that sometimes I don't have to or need to say anything.
Just be quiet.
What is your relationship with silence?
Do you embrace the opportunity for the stillness that may come with it?
Does the quietness make you feel uncomfortable?
Maybe you never thought about it.
What would happen if you embraced silence as a daily practice?
Most things in life are enhanced with practice.
I invite you to join me to practice a little bit of silence.
I call this a slice of silence.
So,
Let's take a few minutes to just be with the silence.
I'll lead you in a guided silence practice and we will be in silence for two minutes.
As long as you're not driving or operating heavy equipment,
Feel free to join me.
We'll settle into the practice by connecting with a few of your senses.
Take a look around you and notice what you see in front of you and around you.
Breathe at your own pace,
Rate,
And rhythm and notice what do you see.
Next,
Allow your eyes to close or lower to lessen any external distractions.
Continue breathing at your own pace,
Rate,
And rhythm.
And notice the sounds around you.
What do you hear right now?
Beautiful.
Now,
Give yourself permission to just be,
To allow yourself to be here in the moment.
Here,
Now,
And breathe.
I'll leave you to sit alone in the silence for two minutes and I'll return before you know it.
It's time to return.
Before you open your eyes again,
Just check in with your body and notice how you feel in this moment right now.
If you can name that feeling,
Say it out loud.
Lovely.
Open your eyes.
Bring a big smile to your face.
You just did a two-minute slice of silence.
You sat with your breath and your body in the silence.
Pat yourself on the back.
I encourage you to come back to this practice multiple times during the day.
Thank you so much for joining me.
Until next time,
Take good care and be well.
How did it feel to sit in silence for two minutes?
Is that a practice you can do daily?
If so,
Your body and mind will thank you.
In episode 17,
I shared a few poems and more thoughts about silence.
Check it out.
I'd love to hear from you on how you can embrace silence in your life.
You can leave a comment,
Observation,
Or reflection wherever you're listening to this podcast.
