In his poignant 2017 tribute to the virtues of quiet, Silence in the Age of Noise, Norwegian explorer-author Erling Kagge shares his discoveries about reclaiming what he calls the 'silence within.' Following extended treks on foot across stark, sometimes harsh, landscapes in the Antarctic and on Mount Everest, he offers 33 meditative vignettes. Each chronicles his experience with silence as an ally that he's come to value in everyday life.
Nature spoke to him in the guise of silence on his walk to the South Pole:
Each time I stopped for a break, if the wind was not blowing I experience a deafening silence. When there is no wind, even the snow looks silent. I became more and more attentive to the world of which I was a part. I was neither bored nor interrupted . . . I was present in my own life.
But what happens when he's nowhere near a hushed landscape? It's not an unimportant question. The din of traffic horns, sirens, jet engines, and jackhammers are unsettling auditory assaults on those of us in urban settings. Kagge writes that among his most welcome discoveries was that if we take the time to tunnel into ourselves, we can arrive at the 'silence within' even in the midst of noise.
"There, deep beneath a cacophony of traffic noise and thoughts, music and machinery, iPhones and snow plows, it lay in wait for me. Silence."
His own go-to practices for reclaiming the silence in everyday life are meditating, yoga, and self-hypnosis. Still, he emphasizes to readers that silence can be experienced without any techniques. There's no need for a course in silence or relaxation to give yourself a little space to pause, he says. The potential of "being an island for yourself" now and again is something each of us carries all the time.
Unorthodox Pathways to the Inner Hush
At this past summer's running of The Mindful Unplug retreat program at Feathered Pipe Ranch, a group of us got comfortable on a sea of colorful quilts and blankets laid over soft grass under aspen shade one blue-sky afternoon. It was near the end of the retreat week as we took turns answering questions about mindful living and the value of unplugging.
One guest drew her random question from the stack of 3X5 cards: "When or where do you find peace and respite?" Her answer poured out without hesitation:
"Oh, that's easy. It's when I hear my pickle yodeling."
She explained about the plastic model of a pickle she keeps handy at home. Press a button and the pickle yodels. The gadget was just the tonic for her in moments when life got too heavy and when inner silence felt out of reach. We bowed to the wisdom of the yodeling pickle technique. Because it worked.
No two people share identical dispositions when it comes to finding on-the-fly resets that transport us to the silence within. I once asked my teacher which meditation technique was the best. The answer? "The one you'll do."
When life as we've known it shifts into new and unfamiliar gears of craziness, the temptation to surrender to despair can be extreme. Ask six self-help-savvy buddies for advice about finding calm on the Good Ship Crazy-Pop ride we're on, and odds are you'll get dozens of suggestions for relief. But no single technique works for everyone. Humility and the willingness to fail and start again are essential. Especially for anyone bold enough to pose as an authority on what might reset someone else's nervous system back to peace and ease.
May I Introduce You to Liza?
My sparkly new friend, Liza Kindred, the founder of Mindful Technology, just this month published a saucy book titled "EFF THIS! Meditation - 108 Tips, Tricks, & Ideas For When You’re Feeling Stressed Out, Anxious, or Overwhelmed." There is plenty to delight in with this book—the pink cover alone drew me in—but I think I adore her "how to use this book" instructions at the front best of all: 'read it all the way through,' or 'flip through and mark what seems interesting,' or 'grab the book in a panic and thumb through until something sticks out.'
Or 'open the book to a random page and do that thing.'
She gets that not every technique is right for every person. But she values the important work of finding our way back to equanimity. And speaking of Liza.
The Mindful Unplug 2020
I am thrilled to share the news that Liza joins our guide team for The Mindful Unplug retreat next summer (11-18 July) at Montana's Feathered Pipe Ranch! For this fifth running of The Unplug, we’re including some dedicated time for inquiry—guided by her informed wisdom and deep expertise—into how to coexist with ubiquitous technology in a more conscious, mindful way.
Her offering spotlights the value and wisdom of periodically unplugging while offering practical, hands-on-hearts-open techniques for plugging back in mindfully. Liza is skilled at sharing practices and encouraging inquiry focused on reclaiming agency over technology in ways that align with our individual values. Plus, she's funny and wise and so kind. We are grateful and fortunate that she's joining us at Ranch for our summer 2020 program.
Also happening at The Mindful Unplug week next summer? Participatory sound, rhythm awareness, and voice practices—including West African hand drumming with our returning rhythm champion Matthew Marsolek; breath-centered mindful movement, yoga, and sensory practices; accessible guided meditation; and our inaugural foray into forest bathing (and no, it's not showering in the woods - it’s more like this).
The week is choreographed to include spacious stretches of unstructured time for you to move at your own pace and revive your relationship to nature. The intimate, uncrowded, and sacred Ranch retreat venue offers as much opportunity for community as it does for solitude and personal space.
Throughout, you’ll be surrounded by a scenic mountain locale, nourished by sumptuous fare, and cared for by attentive staff. The Feathered Pipe Ranch has been offering respite and sanctuary to good souls for 45 years and counting. I'd cherish the opportunity to share this Rocky Mountain oasis with you.
The program is already more than half-booked, so it's wise to reserve your spot soon if you want to ensure you can stay in the indoor or outdoor lodging of your dreams. Questions? Contact me.
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We are rattling around in times that can feel as if the whole world is at its own throat. Getting our minds and hearts in shape to make it together through this ride on the HMS Crazy-Pop is essential. We constitute the pit crew, after all, for each other and for the planet. When do we get to the happily ever after part? My guess is that happens when we acknowledge our shared humanity and stay brave enough to figure out what works for each of us. Even a yodeling pickle can help.
