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My Seven Days in Silence – Days Six and Seven

by delucaw1 in Perspective

The Chopra Center offers an annual retreat at Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, CA. It’s called Silent Awakenings. It’s literally adjacent to Pebble Beach, for some context.  We spend seven days in silence. No phone, no TV, no online YouTube cat videos, no social media, and no talking!  It’s a complete digital detox.  I’ve been sharing my learnings and insights from each day. Day 1, Day 2, Day 3,  Day 4, Day 5.  Here are days six and seven, which are about assimilation and re-entry.

Observations:

“In the midst of movement and chaos, keep the stillness inside of you.” – Deepak Chopra  OK, I thought we were in silence for a full seven days, since the retreat is a week long.  Surprisingly, I was wrong. Today, we had the option to come out of silence after physically waking up in the morning. Immediately, I decided to honor silence a bit longer.  Thank goodness we have our pins that clearly indicate our choice to stay in silence. What I noticed, by contrast, is just how LOUD people can be.  Instead of being irritated I smiled at just how excited people were to connect and share, verbally.  Most noteworthy, I love listening to their conversation. My favorite quote that I heard this AM, “It feels so good to tell you ‘I love you’. I’ve been wanting to say that all week.” Consequently, this got me thinking about communication and how we vary in the ways we communicate. It is amazing the amount of rapport this group has without having been able to ‘talk’.

Most communication (50 – 70+%) is non-verbal.  And given, we spent a good amount of time ‘breathing’ together (literally), I’m not surprised there is a high degree of rapport within the group.  Secondly, I believe there was an unconscious realization about postures (daily yoga), gestures, and facial expressions which likely prompted us to naturally mirror each other.  As a result, increased rapport. Fascinating! For example, there is a woman from Colorado that I greet every morning. We bow our heads, touch our hearts and blink slowly toward each other.  I have no idea who she is, and yet I feel I know her.  Hence, the power of rapport.

Next steps for honoring silence:

I find myself not wanting to leave this beautiful bliss bubble.  I don’t want to pay attention to ‘putting it all together’ or re-entry.  Then, I check myself and realize that this bliss bubble is a visual anchor for this emotional state.  Consequently, I carry it with me. The biggest takeaway for assimilation is keeping it simple. Pay attention, be aware of the silent witness and be purposeful about spaced repetition to honor silence.  Spaced repetition is scheduled, significant breaks to be silent, just ‘be’, and recharge.  Is this realistic in today’s world of technology and the exaltation of ‘busy’? I smile knowing the ‘cost’ of NOT doing this, is far greater than the time spent.   

Thought starters:

• Where is your ‘bliss bubble’, your happy place?  How long has it been since you’ve physically visited there?
• Are you in rapport with those around you?
• When was the last time you fully unplugged and recharged?
• How do you use your voice, daily?  
• Do you find that you ‘can’t’ be still?  Or maybe your ideal vacation is a full agenda with every moment scheduled?  Ever wonder ‘why’ that is?  Hmmm, maybe it’s time to find out.

We only have a finite amount of time on this planet, and you can choose how to spend that time.

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I wish you much success in your career quest.  Yours in balance, learning, growth, and harmony.  – Melissa DeLuca, CEO