A Day at a Time – Enjoying the Silence – 31/03/20

https://yestolife.org.uk/day-at-a-time-a-daily-blog-of-life-in-lockdown/

I am making a morning fruit smoothie and I am suddenly struck by the absolute silence. It is 9.30 am and I live on a village lane, my kitchen just steps from it. The silence is remarkable and beautiful. Listening, I can hear a distant wood pigeon cooing. Remembering that it is out of this silence that all sounds arise, but we are often too busy doing or in our heads to notice the spaces between sounds, between words. Ah ha a gentle, long whoosh. My mind registers it as a car. I am making it a practice now, a listening meditation. Sitting on a chair, feet flat on the floor, my consciousness, the consciousness of sounds. Allowing sounds to be received as they are; the pitch, volume, rhythm and received by not only the ears but by the whole body. Practicing letting go of the mind’s tendency to label sounds for what they are or make judgements about whether they are pleasant or unpleasant. Just this sound and this and the space out of which the sound arises. Lovely. Present moment perfect moment.

On Silence

Barbara Hurd

Silence arrests flight, so that in its refuge,

the need to flee the chaos of noise diminishes.

We let the world creep closer, we drop to our knees,

we sit, as if to let the heart, like a small animal,

get its legs on the ground.

Later, I practice Qigong for better breathing. I am very grateful to have been sent a link to a wonderful teacher. It feels so nourishing and invigorating breathing deeply into the belly and chest and moving the arms with the inbreath and outbreath to increase lung capacity. This is going to be a daily practice, along with Healing Sounds for the Lungs to clear, strengthen and protect my lungs. There are four practices, including one for anxiety. Here is the link: –

Free immunity-boosting Qi Gong video classes.

https://secure.holdenqigong.com/immunity-emergency-kit/