Sweet Silence: Committing to the process

Keeping with the idea that change is inherently good, I made the choice to be silent for four hours every day. Due to life conflicts like my job at Starbucks where I have to talk, I chose not to be silent all day– my Starbucks regulars wouldn’t like that very much, not to mention my boss! I chose the four hours solely around my work schedule. If I had plans during the four hours, I had plans. I was still committed to keeping silent. I wouldn’t check my phone, email, facebook, twitter, blog readers’ comments… anything of the sort until my four hours were up.

The first few days were torture. I’ll be honest, I fantasized about just giving up and knowing I was defeated by this idea of silence. I was worried I would lose friends, money, influence or even credibility. I kept on with my goal, however, and found the effects to be immeasurable.

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Sweet Silence: Seeing results

First came comments from friends, family and my blog supporters, asking where I was or questioning if I was okay. It took everything in me to not write back until time was up. I even had classmates emailing me, to which I had to wait to respond.  Fighting with my internal dialogue, I waited… and waited… and waited longer. The first few four hour sessions seemed like days.

I found that after a few days, my silence got easier. It was less hectic, less rushed and more incredible than before. I grew happier, using my silence as a solace where I could acknowledge feelings and not have to explain them to anyone.

During the second week of my experiment, I was faced with hardships at work as well as in my family. Through choosing silence, I was able to listen to concerns, to feelings shared with  me. I was able to listen to everyone around me with a clarity I hadn’t before. They shared things that were new and raw. I was able to listen and focus, not just hear or acknowledge

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Sweet Silence: Conclusion

Of all of the emotions and changes that silence brought me, the one most pressed upon me is the feeling of thankfulness. I feel as though I was able to gain insight in to myself, into those around me and also the people I come in contact with everyday. I worked to listen. To understand the things that weren’t said. To give the people I was in contact with my full, undivided attention. It was pretty incredible feeling. They noticed, too. I was more present, alert and in tune with them.

Using the idea of silence will continue to be influential in my journey towards helping others through yoga. Being present in the moment and hearing where my students are coming from will help me to tailor their experiences in my classes or in private instruction. I’m incredibly excited to see the lasting effects of this experiment throughout the journey I’ve started. It will benefit me as well as my students, fellow classmates in training and my family.

It seems to me from talking with classmates, that this experiment impresses upon us a feeling of renewal. There’s something magical about bettering yourself. It seems like a common thread between all of the experiments, no matter the group, that they’re life changing and they turn out differently (and better) than we’d originally planned or thought. It’s truly been a life changing two-and-a-half weeks. I know I’ll continually reflect on this time as one where I gained insight into myself and those around me.

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