‘Silence’----- Just repeating the very word quietly in your mind makes you feel relaxed and peaceful. Try it. Silence is a ‘fast’ (in this fast we are allowed to eat food but not partake in words) that you must undertake every now and then to connect with your inner self. Like the Vedas say, ‘Go within, so you won’t have to go without.’ All the riches of the world, all the wealth, all the happiness and all of creation is ensconced in the silence of our heart (I am not speaking of the physical heart, but the meta-physical heart, that is our mind). Mahatma Gandhi, like all great men, knew the importance of this powerful tool and practiced it on a weekly basis.
Since I do not like to preach something that I have not practiced, let me tell you that years of practicing ‘conscious’ silence has brought me more benefits than all my education and worldly experience, put together. I feel blessed to reap the benefits of this ancient practice. But as I always say, please do not take my word for it. Put this golden rule into your own practice, and discover your own miracles.
Would you first like to know what all does silence entail? Well, to me silence means not just withdrawing from the spoken word, but also from reading, watching television, listening to music etc. Any thing to do with words is to be avoided. Instead you can spend time in nature, take a walk, watch the sunrise or sunset, or practice meditation. If you are not inclined to do any of these, then just carry on with your routine, without using words (you can do gardening, cooking, washing etc without needing any words).
Set aside some time (at least five minutes) every day to experience silence. For me this time (I meditate for thirty minutes in the morning and thirty minutes in the evening) is the most enjoyable time of my entire day. Like in every thing else, you need to be regular in your practice of silence as well (silence of sulking will not do!) to experience its full benefits, but just taking that first step is invaluable by itself.
When you take up ‘conscious silence’, initially some of you may experience a great unease. Your internal chatting may become turbulent. You may feel an intense desire to say something. My mother for one used to feel a great anxiety when I first introduced her to silence. Today she swears about her practice and feels completely blissful after it. She doesn’t even need to talk as much as she had to before she embarked upon this path. So if you feel uneasy or anxious, don’t worry, stay with the silence. Soon your internal chatting would stop, (it has no other choice, but to shut up!) and your silence will become peaceful. Finally you will experience creative urges, freedom and annandam.
Spending time in silence will help you experience the harmony in your life and get you in touch with your true essence. Your true essence, according to ‘Gita’, is beyond the ego, free, fearless, immune to criticism, beneath no one, superior to no one, and full of magic, mystery, and enchantment. Would you like to come face to face with such a being - your inner essence?
When you truly understand your true nature, with the help of silence, you will stop feeling guilty, fearful, or insecure. You will develop faith in yourself and your abilities.
Yes, silence has many benefits, besides being golden (remember the adage, Silence is Golden). The word ‘golden’ here implies, as precious as gold. You will understand the extent of this preciousness only after you have practiced silence for at least twenty one days. It is a scientifically proven fact that for any behavior to become a habit, we need to repeat that behavior for twenty one consecutive days. Are you ready for this challenge?
Let me enumerate the benefits that I have experienced.
· Peace- I feel infinitely more peaceful than I have felt in years.
· Creativity- I have suddenly discovered my passion for writing. I have become a prolific writer, as though by magic (I surprise my own self at times!).
· Attractor Factor- It is amazing (if not uncanny!) how I attract people and opportunities in my life. I am the same me, but something has definitely changed!
· Awareness- I feel more aware and more alive each day. My energy levels have soared to unprecedented levels.
· Connectedness- I feel connected to Creation. It empowers me as I realize that I am co-creating my destiny in each moment. Naturally, I am choosing the best for myself!
· Manifesting desires- This is the most welcome side effect of practicing silence. Most of my desires have already manifested, and I feel confident that the Universe is not through with me as yet!
· Relationships- According to Dr. Deepak Chopra, all relationships are a reflection of your own relationship with yourself. Now that my relationship with myself has improved (thanks to the joys of silence!), my relationship with my husband, my sons, my relatives and my friends is at an all time high. I have that perfect understanding with every one because my silence has made me non-judgmental. Isn’t that the best way to assure people that they are accepted as they are?
Some of you may ask me, how about stress? Have you been able to get rid of it? Well, to tell you the truth, I have completely forgotten what being stressful felt like (and I am not missing that feeling at all).
This journey of self discovery and growth has been so life-altering for me that I wish to influence more and more people to take up this golden path of silence. It is the most cost-effective (doesn’t cost a penny!) investment that ensures returns in plenty (the returns on the bullish stock market pale in comparison!).
In the end, I request (and implore) all of you to make a commitment to yourself to experience your own Truth and your own Joy in your Silence. Wonder what surprises are in store for you!
Eternal Solutions, December 2007, Chitra Jha
Monday, December 24, 2007
The Power of Gratitude
Blessed are those who know the Power of Gratitude in their lives. It has been proven by scientific research that grateful people stay happier, maintain better inter-personal relationships, and have a strong, well functioning heart. Being in gratitude helps reduce stress levels as well. Now are you ready to reap these benefits?
Gratitude is of three types.
We say thanks when someone does something for us, or gives something to us. Saying thanks is almost like a reflex action in most civilized societies. Its importance has been taught to children right from the time they learn to speak. It is considered polite to do so, and the failure to say thanks is considered as epitome of bad manners. We Indians somehow associate saying thanks to a degree of formality. In our wisdom we only say thanks to strangers or acquaintances, but never to friends and family. In fact saying thanks to friends and family is a sacrilege, for it means that we don’t consider the person close enough, otherwise why would we say thanks in the first place? I have seen people take offence if you murmur your thanks to appreciate their action. For them it somehow takes their pleasure away!
While saying thanks for things that you want, get, and appreciate is all very well, you reach the next level in gratitude when you say thanks for all that the life hands over to you whether you want it or not. This expression of thanks is not easy for most of us, however cultured. For us this is the time to crib, and to complain. Whoever gives thanks for things and events that they don’t want in their lives? The biggest lesson in life is to have faith in the wisdom of the Universe. Your expression of thanks for everything, wanted or unwanted, conveys to the Universe that you believe in His Greater Wisdom. The results that eventually accrue from such faith are mind boggling.
The most important stage of gratitude is when you are in the feeling of gratitude ‘all the time’. You are thankful for the very air you breathe, the birds and animals around you, the trees and the flowers, EVERYTHING. As children we used to recite this poem,
Thank you God for world so sweet,
Thank you God for the food we eat,
Thank you God for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything
Words like these help keep us in the attitude of gratitude, the best attitude ever possible. This is the state that is ideal, and we all must make an effort towards achieving it.
How can we maintain this attitude in our lives? Well, there are some guidelines that I can offer you, rest lies in your willingness to try. All we need to understand is that these two words “Thank You’ have the power to transform our lives.
Maintain a ‘Gratitude Journal’. Everyday write five things in your life that you are grateful for. Make sure to introduce one new thing to be thankful for everyday. Very soon you will start appreciating all that you ‘have’, and stop thinking about all that you ‘don’t have as yet’. The best part is that by being grateful for what you already have, you will start attracting all that you ‘want to have’. Yes, that is the magic and Power of Gratitude. Why don’t you invite this magic into your own lives?
The Times of India, Shimla Plus, 15 Dec 2007, Chitra Jha
Gratitude is of three types.
We say thanks when someone does something for us, or gives something to us. Saying thanks is almost like a reflex action in most civilized societies. Its importance has been taught to children right from the time they learn to speak. It is considered polite to do so, and the failure to say thanks is considered as epitome of bad manners. We Indians somehow associate saying thanks to a degree of formality. In our wisdom we only say thanks to strangers or acquaintances, but never to friends and family. In fact saying thanks to friends and family is a sacrilege, for it means that we don’t consider the person close enough, otherwise why would we say thanks in the first place? I have seen people take offence if you murmur your thanks to appreciate their action. For them it somehow takes their pleasure away!
While saying thanks for things that you want, get, and appreciate is all very well, you reach the next level in gratitude when you say thanks for all that the life hands over to you whether you want it or not. This expression of thanks is not easy for most of us, however cultured. For us this is the time to crib, and to complain. Whoever gives thanks for things and events that they don’t want in their lives? The biggest lesson in life is to have faith in the wisdom of the Universe. Your expression of thanks for everything, wanted or unwanted, conveys to the Universe that you believe in His Greater Wisdom. The results that eventually accrue from such faith are mind boggling.
The most important stage of gratitude is when you are in the feeling of gratitude ‘all the time’. You are thankful for the very air you breathe, the birds and animals around you, the trees and the flowers, EVERYTHING. As children we used to recite this poem,
Thank you God for world so sweet,
Thank you God for the food we eat,
Thank you God for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything
Words like these help keep us in the attitude of gratitude, the best attitude ever possible. This is the state that is ideal, and we all must make an effort towards achieving it.
How can we maintain this attitude in our lives? Well, there are some guidelines that I can offer you, rest lies in your willingness to try. All we need to understand is that these two words “Thank You’ have the power to transform our lives.
Maintain a ‘Gratitude Journal’. Everyday write five things in your life that you are grateful for. Make sure to introduce one new thing to be thankful for everyday. Very soon you will start appreciating all that you ‘have’, and stop thinking about all that you ‘don’t have as yet’. The best part is that by being grateful for what you already have, you will start attracting all that you ‘want to have’. Yes, that is the magic and Power of Gratitude. Why don’t you invite this magic into your own lives?
The Times of India, Shimla Plus, 15 Dec 2007, Chitra Jha
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