The Power of Silence

Noise. It exists all around us, ranging from external forms such as traffic, cell phones and television, to internal noise such as from our constant thoughts. Experts are now finding that silence can be a way to improve healing, speed up recovery and contribute towards greater overall health. Noise - both external and internal - contributes to a greater risk of heart attack, anxiety, depression, fatigue, back pain, stomach upset, headaches, heart disease, cancer and more.

Quieting Your Mind
One way to silence negative thoughts is through relaxation exercises. Relaxation helps you get in touch with the quieter levels of your mind, relaxes your body and lowers levels of stress hormones.

Many scientific studies have confirmed relaxation's beneficial effects, which include:

• Boosting the immune system
• Lowering the risk of cancer and heart disease
• Lowering blood pressure
• Improving concentration and sleep
• Relieving headaches
• Faster recovery after surgery

While you may be thinking you simply don't have time for relaxation exercises, once you start you'll find it helps increase your energy, leading to your ability to achieve more throughout the day, to think more clearly for better decision making and improve relationships.

While it's ideal to set aside 15-20 minutes, you can do these relaxation exercises for briefer periods of time throughout the day. In fact, those of us who are moving at top speed might be able to ease into the habit simply by taking a few minutes here and there to help slow down.

For those just starting out, the following four relaxation exercises are ideal for busy people:

• Breath Awareness - Observing the breath is the basis of many relaxation exercises. It is an easy way to relax and become more present. You can perform this exercise sitting or lying down. Begin by getting into a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Now bring your attention to your breath. Simply notice the breath as it moves in and out. Notice how the body breathes automatically, effortlessly. Don't try to manipulate the breath in any way. Notice all the details of the experience in breathing - the feeling of the air moving in and out of the nose, the way the body moves as it breathes, etc. Continue with your attention on the experience of breathing through relaxation. The mind will wander away from the breath - that's fine, it doesn't matter. That's part of the experience. When you notice that you are no longer observing your breath, easily bring your attention back to it.
• Body Awareness - This exercise will help you to be more present in the moment, more in tune with your body and more grounded. It is very helpful when you are feeling "scattered". Begin seated or lying down in a comfortable position. Close your eyes or have a light gaze somewhere in the room. Now bring your attention to your body. Feel the physicality and density of the body. Feel the weight of the body on the chair or the bed. Let yourself relax into the pull of gravity. Notice the myriad of sensations going on in your body. What are you experiencing? What is it like to be in your body? As you continue, allow yourself to experience any physical sensations that naturally attract your attention, or you can purposefully scan your body. If you scan, you can start with the soles of the feet and move up, go from the head down, or simply randomly scan the body. See what it feels like in the various parts of the body. Notice the details of your experience. When you notice your mind has wandered, easily bring it back to the awareness of the body.
• Walking Awareness - If done properly, this form of relaxation can be every bit as powerful as sitting relaxation exercises, and in some cases, more natural for many people. During this form of relaxation exercise, your focus is on the sensations in your body. As always, let thoughts come and go, easily favoring the sensations in the body. Notice the way the body feels as you walk - the feeling in your feet and legs, the swinging of your arms, your breath, etc. When your mind wanders, simply bring it back to the experience of walking.
• Knitting Awareness - The simultaneous use of the right and left hands, the back and forth between the needles, and the feel of the yarn gliding over your fingers can help the mind get into a relaxed state. If you don't already knit, get some needles and yarn and have someone show you how to do a simple knit stitch. There are also numerous "starter" books you can reference. Get into a relaxed position and begin knitting. Thoughts will go through your mind, but try to focus on the knitting and the sensations you are experiencing as you do so. Over time, you'll find that thoughts and emotions, which may have been distressing, can easily flow through and resolve on their own as you knit.