Silence the Senses Daily

We take in a lot of data through our senses at every moment and it can be incredibly good for our well-being to spend time every day with our eyes closed in silence.

I created a special quiet area in my house with a yoga mat and very dim lighting (sometimes candlelight) where I do different yoga poses and stretches and silent meditation every day. Creating this special sacred space has made all the difference for me.

I start out doing different yoga poses depending on what my body feels like it needs. I’ve learned how to listen to my body rather than having an expectation of what I think I should do. I like incorporating long stretches to stay connected to my body. then I lay quietly.

Here are three stages of practice:

In the first stage of laying quietly during meditation, it’s common for lots of different thoughts to go through your mind and maybe you’re noticing different parts of your body. That’s OK just notice. I like to allow some of these thoughts to come through so I’m aware of what I might need to process later through journaling.

In the second stage see if you can have an awareness of letting go of the need to engage in those thoughts. Reminding yourself you will journal about it later and at this moment your only job is to let yourself relax, soften the muscles, and expand the space between thoughts. 

With practice by the third stage, you might notice how good it feels to let go. Let go of your to-do list and you’re racing thoughts and just practice the art of being still. It starts to feel good to stop adding to the bucket of data we are constantly taking in.

Try to have compassion for yourself if you’re at the beginning stages of silent meditation and find it difficult to be still and silent. Think about how much your nervous system has taken in and it’s used to constant data and information. It can take time to get used to stillness and yet it is something that is very beneficial for the sensitive sensory system.

When I complete my practice I spritz my face lightly with a lovely mist that feels so good to me. I notice the difference when I do this practice every day. It’s usually around the time of sunset. I try to watch the sunset before or after my silence practice. This time of stillness has become very precious to me and helps to slow that internal motor down. I’ve noticed that my sleep has deepened and I feel calmer overall when I do it consistently. 

When we’re intentional about these times of stillness it really helps to counter the busyness of the modern world and keep us more in balance. It brings out our creativity and reduces burn out and helps improve our mood and energy and sleep. There are so many benefits to silence.

Do you have a silence practice too or might you like to try it? ❤️ Here are responses from members of my Sensitive Empowerment Community:

• I love the ritual you've created around soothing the senses and incorporating the facial mist and sunset viewing, all things that bring comfort to your eyes. The stages of meditation you mention too are really insightful as there's always resistance at the beginning until we allow ourselves to fully surrender. 💗 Thank you for this share.

• Thank you. These kinds of practices are sooo helpful and I practice them too. 💗

• Yep I do a combination of your sleep with a stream meditation, forest sounds playlist for bedtime + overnight.

• I don't do this with water too often since I feel responsible for not wasting water, but occasionally I'll run enough water in the bathtub that I can get some buoyancy and I put on my sleep eye mask to block out all light and put in my silicone earplugs to block out all sound while I just float for a while. At times I've been interrupted from my blissful reverie by a tiny, warm paw. 😹

• Listening to your heartbeat sounds so soothing along with being warm and weightless. 🥰

• That is such good information that we take in so much every day and need to be quiet with our eyes closed. As I sit here in my chair, I can feel that I could do with some stretching of my back. I think daily napping is so helpful. I try to do that around three pm.

• Yes!!! A daily nap…if only 20-30 min between 12-2 pm (depending on my little one).

• I do several things depending on what is going on. But I also find I need to stop and calm my body before switching activities. For instance, if I am working in the morning before starting homeschooling the kids….I have to lay down and meditate to calm my body and get it ready for the next task. Transitions take a lot of my energy (just realized this as an adult). I never realized this growing up but my children struggle (They are vocal about it) and it made me pay more attention to myself in these moments. I never remember struggling like they did as a child but I was also taught to ignore my body and exert myself to my highest capacity at all times.

• What a great example of a self-care and mindfulness practice! I love checking in and listening to the body and giving permission to release the mind talk.

• I turn on nature sounds and do Qi Gong exercises involving the elements to clear my mind, cleanse my body and balance my systems, then I smell my flowers and touch my plants to connect with nature and practice mindfulness, then I lay down and experience a guided meditation, after which I journal. If I am blessed to have more time after that I have a beverage and sit down with a blanket and a relaxing book.

I also love the idea one of our members is doing with her wife. She shares:

At home, we practice 'quiet time' between 9 pm and 8 am (corresponding with relaxing at bedtime until breakfast - it varies seasonally). Because we've both done long silent meditation retreats, we enjoy and know the benefits of this practice but it's tricky to remember each night after a full day of input! 🙊 I tend to get chatty with anything that pops in my mind and so we write it all down and re-evaluate if it's worth sharing the next morning. Usually, it's not. This longer window of silence allows us to settle into sleep and awaken with our own rituals before taking in anything external. Still a work in progress but we're seeing the benefits to our well-being!

As you can see there are so many different ways we can rest our senses and it can make a big impact on our wellness. How do you rest your senses?

Did you find this article helpful? Please share it with other HSPs and together we can normalize our experiences

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Julie Bjelland is a psychotherapist specializing in high sensitivity, Author of The Empowered Highly Sensitive Person, host of The HSP Podcast, and founder of the Sensitive Empowerment Community. Her books, blog, online courses, and free Masterclasses have helped thousands of highly sensitive people (HSPs) worldwide reduce their challenges, access their gifts, and discover their significant value to thrive to their fullest potential. Her HSPs in Heart-Centered Business Group connects and supports HSP healers and practitioners. Julie loves connecting in her Sensitive Empowerment Community and warmly invites you to join this positive, safe, and welcoming space. JulieBjelland.com❤️🌈❤️ (she/her)