The Profound Power of Stillness and Embodiment

I want to write about quietness and embodiment.  How important it is to listen to the stillness, to the sounds of nature, and to keep an open mind to the natural sounds around you. Also how importent it is to embody yourself, so you can feel at home in your own body. So I think the keywords for this article are stillness, natural sounds, an open mind, and embodiment.

The Modern Disconnection from Stillness

Many people today walk constantly with something in their ear: an iPod, hearing device, or headphones. Some listen to music; others listen to podcasts or audiobooks. That’s ok, but not constantly. I think people need natural noise and stillness. I believe that cultivating inner peace through stillness enhances our ability to make better decisions. When I start the day with a mindful mood, the rest of the day is one where I control my feelings, my thoughts, and my stress response. When there is peace inside me, I can make clearer decisions. So I think stillness is about making peace inside and then reducing stress.

Personal Rituals for Embodiment

For example, I love to walk in nature; the first thing I do when I wake up is walk outside with my dogs. I live near the sea, and the first thing I do when I come out is breathe: I take three deep breaths while I look at the sea and feel my feet and my body. I embody myself. Then I start walking down the hill to the beach through a wood of old trees along the coastline. As I walk, I listen to the sounds around me—my feet, my breath, the trees, and the waves. When I reach the beach, I take three deep breaths again and stand still for a few moments to really embody myself and take it all in. Now I listen to my feelings: am I feeling happy, sad, or something else? I tend to feel happy, happy for the life that has brought me to this wonderful place, but also happy for life itself.

We are not promised good health

We’re not guaranteed good health or a life near the sea. Nothing is given, of course, here in life. So yes, this is how I prefer to start my day. I also feel gratitude when I stand on the beach, look out over the water, hear a bird sing, or feel the wind blowing through my hair.

Do it anywhere!

I don’t only do this in the morning. I do it everywhere I am; I embody it; it’s not only in my head, but in my whole body. This helps me reduce stress. I think listening is a part of this embodiment. Listen to natural sounds around me, just standing still and listening. Because the environment isn’t quiet, it is noisy; listen and hear. Maybe a bird is singing, maybe the waves make noise, maybe the wind. Once in my life, I experienced total stillness: on a trip to the mountains around Lake Femunden. It was winter, and the landscape was white with snow. There we stopped the car, rolled down the windows, and just sat listening to the stillness; it was so quiet. “Do you hear how quiet it is?” “Yes, I do.” And the stillness then was a good noise to listen to. It was several years ago, but I still remember it like yesterday.

Yesterday after work, I drove to a beautiful place called Alby, near Moss where I live. It’s a cultural landscape with big trees, green fields, and the ocean beside it. I had my two golden retrievers with me; they are old now and also like to walk slowly. So we went slowly, looked, sniffed, and listened to the sounds. I felt calm. It was a wonderful, peaceful mood. It feels so refreshing walking in the stillness, just hearing nature sounds. I am in contact with nature. I feel that the big trees, the ocean, the fields, the light all of it are my friends. Nature is my friend.

The Impact of Constant Digital Noise

It is good for the brain and body not to have the noise from all our devices knocking into our thoughts all day. I don’t think our brain is built to handle all the impressions we get from the news and the noise from all our devices.

It’s rare to see people reading a paper book on the train, or an old newspaper. People stare into their phones and watch or listen fast.  Pictures shift fast, words shift fast, and music shifts fast. I think phones and new technology are exciting, but it is not good to get all these busy noises from these devices into our heads every day. We don’t get time to switch it off and think about what we just saw, read, or heard because we jump from one thing to another in seconds.

Need time to process; if not, we can be led into illness

I think our brains need time to process all that stuff. If our brains don’t get that time, it can lead to constant stress in our bodies. And our concentration won’t be as good. And it can lead to illness. Our nervous system isn’t meant to be constantly on. When it is constantly on because of the constant noise we take in through our different devices, it can lead to sleeplessness, and we will feel more tired; this, in turn, can lead to more negative thoughts, and doing exercise like running will be hard for the body. Wow, those were very negative thoughts about what too much noise from our devices can lead to, but I think there is something right to them. It’s about overstimulation from what the new technology brings into our lives.

I think this is a need in our modern community: to listen more without devices, see more without devices, and be more embodied in the here and now. If we do, I think it will lead us into ourselveses and our lives, and we will be more peaceful and restful in our daily state. We have to give ourselves time to reflect over what we are reading, what we hear, what we see. And we have to regulate and be more aware of what we put inside and what we do not want to put inside. It’s important to take control of our time on different social media platforms and other channels in our new technology. If we don’t, I think it can lead to illness.

So I encourage you to go out into nature, walk slowly, and listen without headphones or other devices, letting the natural sounds reach your body and soul. Embody yourself, and may it help reduce your stress.