Quiet Time: An alternative view of meditation
A few years ago, I was very unhappy with my life. I thought I was doing all the things to help myself, including different meditation practices, yoga asana, reading self help books, and journaling. Nothing was working, even these tools that had helped in the past.
I started looking for a therapist and found my first life coach. They took me through a program that included one of the most impactful tools I have ever used, which they called "Quiet Time".
What is Quiet Time?
Quiet time is a practice that allows the thinking part of our minds to rest. The practice is simple, sit quietly and allow the thinking to go quiet.
A very simple practice, but hard! We live in an analytical, logical, thinking world. Our brains are conditioned to always be thinking, analyzing and coming up with solutions.
Who is the practice for?
Is this a tool I think everyone can benefit from? Yes!
I believe in this tool because it works for me and my clients, but like meditation practices, journaling, or other self coaching tools, it may or may not resonate with you. I recommend giving it a try for a few weeks to see what happens.
Quiet time may be really impactful if you connect with any of the following:
Your mind doesn't turn off when you want to rest or sleep
Feel disconnected from your Self (intuition, gut feeling et cetera)
Experience unhappiness or dissatisfaction in one or more areas of your life
Want to make life changes, but not sure what they are or have an idea but not sure of next steps
Feel stuck
Have a hard time making decisions (big or small)
How to practice Quiet Time?
To start, sit comfortably on the floor or a chair for 5 minutes a day.
That's it! Very simple, and magic happens when you practice every day for a few weeks.
As you practice I invite you to:
Notice what's going on in your mind, without judgement
When there's a lot of thinking, bring your attention to your breath
Maybe journal or record a voice note after each practice
Follow any curiousity or interests
When and where to practice?
Practice at the same time every day in a place where you won't be disturbed by people or pets.
What works for me is to practice in my bedroom, after I brush my teeth in the morning and before I let my dog out. It's helpful to anchor this new habit to an established one (i.e. brushing my teeth).
Other ideas:
In the car, while waiting in the school pick up line
Sitting in bed, before laying down to sleep
On a comfortable chair while your water heats up for your morning coffee/tea
Sitting on the porch steps while your dog does it's thing
Why Quiet Time and not another form of meditation?
If any form of meditation is working for you, keep at it! I practice various meditations in addition to my Quiet Time.
Sitting intentionally builds the skill of quieting the mind, and is the first step in this practice.
Once you develop the skill of quieting your mind, you can expand the practice.
Use the skill to:
Pause and experience a quiet mind before making a decision
Check in with feelings about an activity or situation.
Connect with the creative, intuitive part of our brain, combined with the thinking part to make aligned decisions
Notice when you're living from a place of 'should'
Uncover limiting beliefs, familial or cultural conditioning
Work with a therapist or coach on things you notice and want to change
Meditation practices are a useful tool that have been studied and shown to help individuals in a variety of ways.
Quiet time is focused on one outcome; building the ability to relax the thinking part of the brain to connect with the creative, intuitive part. Where that connection leads is as unique as the individual.