Albert Einstein once said,
I think ninety-nine times and find nothing.
I stop thinking,
Swim in silence,
And the truth comes to me.
Albert Einstein was one of the greatest minds in history,
And he understood the power of stillness.
The way it clears the noise,
Quiets the mind,
And allows insight to emerge.
Yet,
In the busyness of life,
Stillness can feel like the last thing we have time for.
I'm Chibs Okereke,
And welcome to The Daily Coach.
Today we're exploring the quiet strength that lies in stillness.
Together we'll practice pausing,
Grounding,
And creating space for clarity to unfold.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable position.
Perhaps sitting in a chair with the feet flat on the floor,
Lying down with the arms resting at the sides,
Or even standing tall with the weight evenly balanced.
Choosing whatever feels most supportive for us in this moment.
Bringing our awareness to the sensation of the body touching the surface beneath.
Feeling the points of contact,
The firmness of the chair,
The softness of the bed,
Or the steady support of the ground beneath the feet.
And as we settle in,
Let's gently shift our attention to the breath.
There's no need to change the breath,
We're simply noticing it as it flows in and flows out.
Each inhale filling the body with energy,
And each exhale releasing tension,
Leaving behind a sense of grounded stillness.
And now let's take a few slow,
Intentional breaths.
Breathing in deeply through the nose,
And softly breathing out through the nose or the mouth.
Breathing in through the nose,
And breathing out through the nose or the mouth.
A deep breath in,
And a slow breath out.
And taking a few more,
Slightly slower,
Slightly deeper breaths,
In your own time.
Noticing the body becoming heavier,
The roots sinking deeper into the earth.
Slowing the breath like this helps to calm the nervous system,
Signaling to the body that it's safe to relax.
And with your next breath,
Imagine that time itself has slowed down.
The world around us has paused,
Just for this moment,
Giving us the freedom to rest.
Feeling the stillness in the breath,
The stillness in the body,
And trusting that this stillness is where our strength resides.
Noticing what it feels like to be here,
To stop and simply be.
If the mind begins to wander,
That's completely normal.
We might notice thoughts pulling us into the past or into the future.
Instead of following them,
As soon as we notice that we're lost in thought,
Just try gently guiding the awareness back to the breath.
And now taking this stillness a step further,
I invite you to imagine a strong steady tree,
Rooted firmly into the earth.
Its branches may sway in the wind,
But its trunk remains grounded,
Unshaken.
This tree is a reminder that stillness doesn't mean fragility,
Stillness can hold immense strength.
Also,
Stillness doesn't mean doing nothing.
It's an act of care,
A way to reset and root ourselves so we can face life's challenges with more ease and intention.
For the next few breaths,
Let's see if we can embody this feeling.
Picturing ourselves as that steady tree,
Rooted,
Calm and unshaken.
Taking a moment to pause here,
Noticing what this stillness feels like in the body.
Does it feel steady or maybe unfamiliar?
Whatever we notice is perfectly okay.
And if at any point this feels like too much,
We're always welcome to pause.
Return to this practice later.
There's no right or wrong way to experience stillness.
We talked about Albert Einstein at the start.
He was no stranger to long hours of deep thinking.
And he believed that solving the world's most complex problems required immense focus.
But what he realized,
And what we often forget,
Is that clarity doesn't always come from pushing harder.
Einstein's moments of stillness,
Whether they were walks in nature or quiet pauses,
Helped him make some of his most groundbreaking discoveries.
By stepping back and creating space for his mind to rest,
He was able to connect ideas that felt out of reach in moments of effort.
Stillness helped him see the bigger picture.
It created the clarity he needed to approach his challenges with fresh insight.
Let's sit here for a few more breaths,
Letting this idea settle in.
Now,
As we come to the end of our practice,
I invite you to consider what might happen if you gave yourself just one moment of stillness in the middle of your busy day.
How could a single pause help you regain focus,
Calm,
Or strength?
As you move through the day,
Try carrying this image of stillness and the rooted tree with you.
Whenever life feels overwhelming,
Take a slow,
Deep breath and imagine yourself pausing like that tree.
Steady,
Calm,
And grounded.
Just one moment of stillness can sometimes create the space for clarity and strength.
And now gently bringing our awareness back to the room,
Noticing the sounds inside the room,
Sounds outside the room,
And gently wiggling our fingers and toes.
And whenever we're ready,
Gently opening the eyes if they were closed.
Now,
If this practice has been helpful,
Consider sharing it with your friends and family.
It might be a moment of stillness in their life too.
Thanks for joining me,
Have a wonderful day,
And I'll see you next time for the daily coach.
