I'm getting ready to go on my second 3 day silent retreat at Kripalu, a yoga and retreat center in the Berkshires.
Read on for the valuable (and unexpected!) lesson I learned on my first one.
✨ I N S P I R E
“The quieter you become, the more you can hear” - Ram Dass
✨ R E F L E C T
3 days of quiet has a way of teaching you a few things, including:
1 -- You will enjoy the slow down, and also be frustrated and bored with it at the same time
2 -- Next time, remember socks, a brush, and toothpaste
3 -- Don't go for a post-dinner walk alone in the woods
You have no phone (or sense of direction) and you are afraid of both bears and murderers
4 -- It is never too late to change what no longer aligns with your soul
5 -- Don't worry about all the people you thought would try to talk to you; absolutely no one will
But the one that really stands out - the one that really STUCK was this:
I get to create more opportunities for quiet in my actual real life
I don't need to leave the state and retreat into silence for a weekend.
✨ T H R I V E
Here are 5 practices I've kept since this trip last year:
1 -- Three slow breaths with hand to heart and belly before I get out of bed
A long-held practice that starts my day with awareness and intention
2 -- Seven minutes of silence each morning
I use the timer function on Insight Timer
3 -- Leave the radio on the 'off' position in the car
Please try this.
I have no clue what's going on in the world of music, but I am calmer
x 1000
4 -- Not filling every second with talks, podcasts, and audiobooks
Tough one for me and I suspect for you too!
There is a time and place, but it's not all the time, every time
5 -- Music off during meals
We have more than enough noise and chaos without it--
--
These habits may seem small, but they have compounded over the past year.
They are now a powerful reminder that I am in charge of how I go through my days.
You too get to cultivate calm and peace, even in the midst of chaos.
You don't even need to leave your house to do it.
✨ R E L A T E D P O S T S
19 Truths From a 3 Day Silent Retreat: Takeaways that you can apply to your life today
The Universal Check-In: A simple question to check in with yourself
Finding Calm Amidst Chaos: Build practices that help you check in, so they are available when you actually need them
Carolyn
xo
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