| I just returned from my first silent meditation retreat. I’ve been a long term meditator, but never in full silence for extended periods. After the first night of introductions and settling in, our instructor shared with us we were going into “Noble Silence”. This meant we would not only be refraining from speaking, but also any other ways of communication like eye contact or nodding. The phone also disappeared for 5 days.
Never in my entire life on this planet have I been so quiet and so still. It was life changing. The first few days felt like a detoxification, and my body felt extremely tired and besieged by aches and pains. Eventually I reached a place of inner equilibrium where the insights naturally arose.
Three big lessons emerged from the silence. First, I realized how much energy we expend out into the world instead of into ourselves. When the opportunity to engage with the external world is essentially taken away, there is no other option but to turn inward.
Second, the turning inward allowed me to find ME. I finally somatically understood how the most important relationship you will ever have is with yourself. And, the more conscious and quiet time you spend with self, this relationship only deepens and expands.
Third, I began to hear the inner teacher, something our instructor introduced us to on day 3. The inner teacher is the idea that we all carry wisdom, knowing, and the guidance we need for whatever life is bringing.
As the silent days and nights went on, the voice of my inner teacher got louder. On one of the last days there, we were asked to have our inner teacher write us a letter of everything we needed to know. The wisdom and clarity that came through was more clear and concise than I’ve ever experienced.
We can consider the inner teacher many things, but it is the part of us that is whole and intact. It is our intuitive faculties, and the deeper knowing we all experience that you can’t rationally explain but you feel. When we are tapped into it, our quality of life is greatly enhanced.
All of this inspired me to explore in this week’s Wisdom Wednesday the power of our Inner Teacher and intuition. Join me for conversation and a deep practice to tap you into a knowing that goes far beyond your small self.
Hope to see you Wednesday! |
