So You Want to Practice Silence? (pt. 2)

If you want to practice silence it might be because you’ve probably heard all sorts of things from a variety of people who talk about how practicing silence has changed their life, and how it’s so amazing. You’ve probably heard accounts of increased energy, sharper focus, controllable emotions, a renewed lease on life, heck, you’ve probably heard about people who decide to wake up early (like 5 am early, ew) to reap the rewards of silence.

Sounds too good to be true? Yeah. It pretty much is. And also, it’s kind of not.

I said it last week, but let me say it again, the reality of any spiritual practice that is worthwhile takes a bit of time and patience.

This week I’ll walk you through how I incorporated the practice of silence into my life. There are some considerations you need to make if you are hoping that this will become a sustainable practice for you.

Hopefully you’ll find some helpful tips on getting started, and keeping after it.

Establishing your Practice of Silence:

Don’t start practicing silence, with practicing silence. Start with noticing.

This may sound odd, but trust me.

Notice first, silence second.

Notice, really pay attention to:

• When you can actually fit silence into your life. Is it first thing in the morning? On your lunch break? Right before bed? Or is the best time for you while you’re driving or working out? Silence isn’t just about being quiet, it’s about focusing on God and everyone is going to do that differently.

• Look for a time that you can consistently honour. As an example, I live with a 3-year-old who wakes up at 7 am- so if I wanted to do my silence in the morning, I’d have to become one of those 5 am people- I shudder- so I usually wait till she goes to preschool at 8:30 am.

• Find a location that you can consistently honour. I live in a house with 4 adults (along with the 3 year old and a dog). Everyone works from home, so the main floor is out of bounds for me, spending time in my bedroom or going outside are better options.

Once you’ve got your schedule and situation sorted out (which you can take a few days to really consider), move on to silence.

Don’t settle for your first idea:

When you’re starting out, don’t worry about what you’re supposed to be doing. If lying down feels weird try sitting crossed legged. In fact you should try out a lot of different postures: sitting, kneeling, lying down, even walking!

Add additional elements as they feel right to you, but don’t include things that are going to be a distraction. When I started practicing silence I tried out pillows, eye masks, candles, rock salt lamps, a yoga mat, blankets, whatever I thought might be useful in enhancing the experience.

How long should you be Silent? Great Question:

Some people may recommend going for broke and doing 30 minutes or an hour your first time out, I’ve even heard people recommend starting with “as long as you possibly can, just to set the bar.” I think this is the wrong approach if what you are hoping for is a sustainable practice.

Start ridiculously small- start with 1 minute. For those of us (hand raised) who have been enmeshed with sound for a while, even 1 minute of no noise (audible and visual words) can be overwhelming. Start where you can succeed and set you set yourself up to achieve.

Increase time as you can, maybe adding 1 minute a week till you reach the length that

feels right for you.

The goal of practicing silence:

As a Christian anyway, should be to make room for God (I’ll talk about outcomes later in the series). In order to make sure that you are orienting yourself in the right direction I’d recommend having a prayer of attentiveness at the outset, and a prayer of thanksgiving to wrap up. Of course, this can only really happen once you’ve reached a slightly longer practice time!

OK- that seems like a long list, but really the top things to keep in mind are

1. Notice first, silence second.

2. Try lots of different postures, and times to determine what works best for you

3. Focus on making room for God (after all one day in his court is better than a thousand elsewhere)

I hope these practical beginning tips help you get a handle on the practice of Silence. Taking these small steps may seem silly, but thinking about these details will help you to set up a practice that is totally adapted to your life.

More details will arrive next week on what to actually do once you’re in a rhythm of being silent

Keep practicing,

What tips for practicing silence are you going to try? Let me know by email (meghanlamatthews@gmail.com) on Instagram (@itsmeghanmatthews) or in the comments below!