Seeking silence
Silence gives rise to peace and with peace comes security. ~ African Proverb
The need to explore this question has come to me at a time when the world has been forced to stop and reset this year, and we all have had an opportunity to listen to the silence within us. When you think of silence, what comes to mind? Is it boredom, being alone or lonely, or do you ask “why would I want silence?” Seeking silence is not something that we have been taught to embrace in this society, we have been conditioned to see the noise and the chatter as normal. However, the more we try and cultivate stillness and silence, the more our lives acquire a whole new meaning, which we may have not seen before – silence gives us a chance to stop. Stop being in our heads, and be more within our bodies, connecting with the life force of nature. When we tune into the silence, it can stir up many layers inside, neither good nor bad, but it allows for a shift and transformation to happen.
Vibration
“We are sound, we vibrate, we feel, we release, we are sound” – Jaha Browne
This quote reminds me that is it a wonderful thing that life is, and always will be, moving, even in the stillness. Despite this concept being quite new to modern science, it was discovered and recognized thousands of years ago by the great master of Egypt. By default, we associate silence with stillness and no movement, but nothing ever rests, and it can be very powerful to tap into. The vibrations you feel in a sound meditation are not only coming from the sounds received through your ears, you feel the sounds vibrate through your body. We feel, smell, and touch vibration. Synthesis are common during sound baths, as it can be a multi-sensory experience for some.
Ancient practice
“In sound, we are born, in sound, we are healed” ― Mehtab Benton
Sound healing is an ancient practice dating back thousands of years, and it is deeply rooted in many cultures across the world. A sound bath is a meditative experience where those in attendance are “bathed” in sound waves. Instruments such as gongs, singing bowls, chimes, rattles, tuning forks, and the human voice are used as part of the experience. Sound is vibration. And we are vibration. So when you are in a sound bath, things you cannot explain or understand are shifted within you. Sound healing helps to lower stress levels and blood pressure, and it can improve sleep. These sessions can be used to
treat a number of conditions, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, and dementia. This practice is yang and yin, combining silence & noise.
Image: Arron Watson -McNab
Going within
“Use the silence at the end of a bath as a silent Gong” – Leo Cosendai
The daily noises can become overwhelming – from Whatsapp notifications to the millions of voices online, the visual noise can get too much. Sound meditation can be that one place to find silence and stillness. Through the vibrations created through powerful sound tools, we can release and facilitate our own healing. On a more profound level, the sound allows us to create the silence within, as cocooned by the sound, we are allowed to be still. This is why I am so in love with sound meditation and its unique transformative powers. When the sounds bathe you, time disappears, and the non-rhythmic beats flow through you. When the silence occurs at the end, it can be the most impactful and it can propel an internal evolution.
The power that lies within the noise & silence
“The loudest noise in the world is silence”- Thelonious Monk
Tuning into the power of silence is truly a gift that your body, mind and spirit will appreciate when you allow yourself to become present to it. We have been conditioned for the noises to comfort us, and in the noise of the hustle and bustle, we feel connected to the external. Even when we are not fully engaging or liking the noise, we know it as productive and entertaining. Yet it is the silence that allows us to heal. Both noise & silence are important, as the polar opposites allow us to stay balanced, and create a rich foundation for exploring the layers within ourselves. We cannot hide in sound meditation and we are confronted with ourselves and it can be deeply uncomfortable, depending on what needs to be released, if anything at all. Sound meditation is a chance to seek our truth, a truth that is usually clouded by internal and external factors.
I truly believe that sound meditation is an accessible portal for us all to try, through which we can tap into the power we all have within us to do what we need to elevate ourselves in this lifetime.
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Image by Martyna Przybysz
Jaha Browne:
I’m a Reiki Master, Sekhem & Sound Healing Practitioner. I empower people to find the healer within. By holding space for them to explore the layers that are needing to unlock their potential to heal themselves with the support of Reiki & Sekhem energy systems and sound healing through 1:1 and group work. You can find me in person for Sekhem Meditations at Re:Mind Studio & House of Wisdom. Or my monthly Luna Circle gatherings for the Full Moon and Weekly Virtual Sekhem Gong Baths every Wednesday.
Follow Jaha on Instagram and check out her schedule on the website.