Excerpted from the book: The Goddess of Happiness, A Down-to-Earth Guide for Heavenly Balance and Bliss by Debbie Gisonni
Do you remember those lazy summer vacation mornings
when you were a kid? I used to stay in bed after waking up and just
stare at the ceiling, listening to nothing. As the rising sun splashed
on my bedroom walls, I felt so peaceful and happy lying in bed,
soaking up the silence. It was the only time during the day when my
mind wasn't cluttered with the noises of the external world.
For most women, those quiet summer mornings have been long
forgotten and replaced with the never-ending morning noise of
phones ringing, kids screaming, dogs barking, and TV blasting.
Being still, even for a moment, seems totally unnecessary and, even
more so, detrimental to the constantly moving treadmill of life we
run upon as if we'll lose our place in life if we stop. In our technologically
advanced culture, filled with stimuli to keep us going
twenty-four hours a day, there is no encouragement for silence or
reflection--unless you're a three-year-old child in time-out! Most
of us shun silence, opting instead to spend whatever time we have
alone drowning in the constant din of the TV.
While I was in between careers, I spent a lot of time doing nothing,
which led to an interest in meditating--in essence, the same
thing as doing nothing. Yes, me . . . the person who used to wake
up in the middle of the night to add to my "to do" list for the next
day. Once I started meditating, however, I found I wasn't as anxious
at night and was able to rekindle the feelings from those peaceful
quiet childhood summer mornings at any time. And, in the silence
of meditation, I hear the most profound things.
But don't take my word for it. Technology (it does good things, too)
can now prove the actual benefits of meditation. Advanced brain scan
imaging has shown that meditation can rewire the neurons in
the brain, with numerous life-improving benefits--it can help boost
the immune system, reduce stress, extend life, slow disease, manage
pain, and alleviate depression . . . to name a few.
You can find silence anywhere--in a raging crowd or a quiet forest.
It's not about what's going on outside of you--it's what you
create inside. In as little as ten minutes you can become the calm in
the center of a hurricane that's whirling around you. Start with a
few deep goddess breaths. The Buddhist spiritual leader Thich Nhat
Hanh suggests a breathing technique to help quiet your mind.
While taking a breath in, say to yourself, "Breathing in, I am aware
of breathing in." As you release the breath, say, "Breathing out, I
am aware of breathing out." All you need is a little practice and
commitment, and you'll be well on your way to having a more
peaceful goddess existence.
About the Author
Debbie Gisonni, aka The Goddess of Happiness™, is an author (The Goddess of Happiness: A Down-to-Earth Guide for Heavenly Balance and Bliss and Vita's Will: Real Life Lessons about Life Death & Moving On), speaker, happiness expert and columnist for iVillage.com. Contact:
www.goddessofhappiness.com
Copyright, All Rights Reserved, Debbie Gisonni
