Discover the beauty in silence

Mother Teresa understood what many great souls have sought to teach us through the ages:

“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature, trees, flowers, grass, grows in silence, see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence … We need silence to be able to touch souls.”

In silence we have the ability to listen to ourselves, to others and to God. It is only in silence that we can communicate with our divine inner being, our higher self. It is in silence that we can touch the infinite intelligence and know that we can trust a power far greater than ourselves which flows through us every moment of every day. It is in silence that answers, healings and creativity come to us. It is in silence that we understand who we are and why we are here. It is in silence that we discover that the entire universe is within us.

The wisdom of the ages

Throughout all religious and sacred texts and books, there is a common belief that there is wisdom in silence. Messages abound in the teachings that you must hold your tongue and think before you speak, if at all. All religions have the practice of silence as part of their teachings or scriptures and as a way to purity and divinity.

It is said that when Buddha reached enlightenment on the full moon day in the month of May he kept silent. For a whole week, he did not say a word. In Buddhist teachings, it is said that Buddha remained silent when asked a question he did not believe worthy of an answer, or if the question had no real answer, or if the one questioning did not have the capacity to understand the answer.

It is in silence that we can touch the infinite intelligence and know that we can trust a power far greater than ourselves which flows through us every moment of every day.

Mahatma Gandhi believed that silence was a pathway to peace and clarity of mind and he spent a day each week in complete silence. Gandhi said, “In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness.” One of the most famous examples of his vow to silence was during a meeting with Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India. During the 1947 meeting, which was of the highest importance in regard to the future of an independent India, Gandhi passed a now famous note across the table to Mountbatten stating that he apologised for his silence but that he had taken a vow of silence for that day and would not be able to speak to the Viceroy.

In the ancient Indian schools of thought, the practice of silence is proportional to the degree of harmony experienced. The Mauna Ekadashi festival in India is devoted to the practice of silence. Ekadashi is the 11th day of the Hindu lunar fortnight. It is intended for meditation and expansion of consciousness and one must refrain from speaking for an entire day.

The Holy Bible is filled with references about the importance of silence for spiritual and moral growth. In the book of Proverbs alone, there are more than 150 verses referring to the wisdom of remaining silent or holding one’s tongue.

The Sufis and Taoists state, “Those who say, don’t know; and those who know, don’t say.” Buddhist and Catholic monks testify to the importance of having times of silence as a necessity for mental strength and conditioning. Silent prayer and worship, including moments of silence during other group activities, have been practised by Quakers for more than 300 years.

Since silence contains no doctrine nor beliefs and requires no understanding of language to interpret, it is more easily accepted and used when persons of different religious and cultural backgrounds come together.

External noise and its health impacts

Scientific research clearly shows that noise impacts negatively on human wellbeing. Simply put, noise causes stress. According to Dr Alice H Suter of the American National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, “Unlike some of the other problems, noise seems to be accepted by our society these days as a necessary evil.”

In her research, Suter noted that noise-related problems included peptic ulcers, cardiovascular deaths, strokes, suicides, degradation of the immune system and impairment of learning. She went on to say, “Noise is also associated with an increase in aggression and a decrease in cooperation.”

Professor Stephen Stansfeld from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of London published research entitled Noise Pollution: Non-Auditory Effects on Health. In it, he details and summarises a number of studies and papers on the various effects of noise on physical and mental health as well as behaviour and social interactions.

It has been clearly shown that environmental noise — as opposed to industrial noise, which can result in hearing loss — is associated with short-term physiological effects such as high blood pressure, increased heart rate and hormonal disturbances and longer-term responses such as anxiety and psychological disturbances. Scientific studies have shown noise causes cognitive impairment as well as increases in aggressive behaviour.

The Mauna Ekadashi festival in India is devoted to the practice of silence. It is intended for meditation and expansion of consciousness.

In one paper it was noted that “children represent a group which is particularly vulnerable to the non-auditory health effects of noise. They have less cognitive capacity to understand and anticipate stressors and lack well-developed coping strategies. Moreover, in view of the fact that children are still developing both physically and cognitively, there is a possible risk that exposure to an environmental stressor such as noise may have irreversible negative consequences for this group.”

Unfortunately, from the moment we wake until the moment we fall asleep we are bombarded with external noise. It is everywhere: at home, in the street, in the shops, at work, in restaurants, in schools and even in a park or at the beach. From traffic to radios, TVs and household kitchen and bathroom noise, to dogs barking, kids screaming and ceaseless talking, to shops, cafes and noise generated from all manner of technology, we are constantly overwhelmed with a world of chaos, chatter, clanking and clutter. The noises overlap and override each other so that no minute space of silence is possible. Some people can’t even sleep without a radio or TV in the background.

We have been so conditioned to constant noise that silence has become uncomfortable for many of us. It is equated to isolation, loneliness and boredom. Some of us don’t want to be with ourselves.

The noise within

Added to that external noise, there is the constant noise within: your monkey mind, the ceaseless chatter of past regrets and worries and anxieties for the future. We repeatedly play a mental recording of situations, events and people and how these affect and distress us; the irritations, frustrations, resentments and angers of life. We are plagued by our inner noise, our fears, worries, desires and hopes. It has been shown that we have about 80,000 thoughts a day — where in this onslaught do you have time for silence? Even sleep is disturbed by the noise within.

Silencing the noise within can be even harder than silencing the external noise and can only really be achieved with meditation and prayer. The late Dr David Simon from the Chopra Centre taught, “Freedom begins when we are able to transcend the thought traffic and start to shift our identity to the silent witness that is not bound in time or space. This inner silent witness observes all the thoughts, emotions, sensations and experiences unfolding in our life without getting caught up in the stories, repetitive thought-loops and conditioned reactions that keep our mind in bondage.”

It is in the meditative state that you can open the door to the domain of silence and the potential to truly, deeply heal and transform your life and yourself. It’s interesting to note that often, when people begin to practise meditation, silent prayer or other methods to still and quiet the mind, they may experience a sense of discomfort, restlessness or even agitation. We have spent so long with so much sensory and mental stimulation that it may be difficult initially to sit or walk alone and silently. As Dr Simon writes, silence cannot be imposed or forced on the mind: “The seeds of silence will only germinate when the soil of awareness is right.”

The health benefits of silence

Research, mostly done on the effects of meditation and silent prayer, is showing that silence is not only beneficial for your physical, mental and emotional health but critical.

Dr Herbert Benson, an authority on the mind’s ability to affect physical health, coined the term “relaxation response” to describe the physiological state your body is in when you are calm and relaxed but not sleeping. It’s the opposite of the fight-or-flight response that triggers the release of stress hormones cortisol and adrenalin and has been shown to have a direct beneficial effect on your health.

People who meditate or pray regularly have been shown to reap a number of significant health benefits, from lowered blood pressure to increased immunity and fertility. Neurological imaging studies from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire suggest that the “normal resting state of the brain is a silent current of thoughts, images and memories that is not induced by sensory input or intentional reasoning, but emerges spontaneously from within”.

It has been shown that we have about 80,000 thoughts a day — where in this onslaught do you have time for silence?

Dr Helen E Lees, a research fellow in the Faculty of Education and Theology at York St John University in England and author of Silence in Schools, writes that more and more schools are now incorporating quiet times into the daily schedules of students. This has had a great impact on students’ learning and behaviour with reports that “it calms, focuses and enlivens the pupils”. Silence used to have negative and coercive aspects in schools but is now used as a positive educational tool. Some schools even provide sanctuary rooms or buildings where children can go to be still and silent as a restorative tool.

When you connect with nature in silence you begin the process of healing and rebalancing all bodily systems, from the hormonal to the neurological and cardiovascular as well as the immune system. This in turn benefits you emotionally and mentally, giving an overall sense of wellbeing.

Recognised health benefits

The proven health benefits of silence are that it:

• lowers blood pressure
• reduces anxiety
• increases immunity
• lowers cortisol and adrenalin
• reduces pain
• increases energy
• increases concentration and mental clarity
• increases ability to deal with emotional issues
• improves sleep
• improves fertility

The power of silence

The power that comes from moments of silence and stillness as well as times spent alone in nature — moments when your mind becomes free of the constant onslaught of thoughts — is deeply healing on many levels. To be fully in the present moment, free from the regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow, is when you become one with the universe and its omniscient power.

Whether in reference to the silence of contemplative prayer, silent worship rituals or meditations from any religion, descriptions of silence often relate to that of spiritual enlightenment, inner growth and connection with the divine.

Feel the healing that comes from silence and solitude; just you, your breathing and magnificent Mother Earth. No crowds, no noise, no phones, no anxiety, no stress, no one but you and your true inner self and the universe that supports you in complete peace.

Your daily silence

Here are some ways to find silence in your day:

• Go for a very early morning walk
• Enjoy a cup of your favourite tea on your own in your favourite room or space
• Turn off your phone and let it go to message bank for a time, turn off your computer, TV and radio
• Sit on the sand and watch the sea, breathe in time with the waves and smell the ocean
• Enjoy a massage or spa treatment
• Have a soothing aromatic bath with fragrant candles
• Sit quietly and watch the sunrise or sunset
• Gaze at the stars before you retire to bed
• Sit quietly in a church or temple and pray
• Pat your cat or dog, watching its peaceful face
• Relax in front of a fire with a soft blanket
• Sit in the park on the grass against a tree and breathe
• Visualise yourself on a beautiful mountain hike, walking through beds of flowers and swimming in crystal clear waterfalls and streams
• Go on a silent retreat