Deceptively simple, but certainly not easy, quiet sitting is an excellent practise to cultivate. It is highly beneficial for all aspects of ones physical and mental health and deeply educational in terms of understanding, via direct experience, the human body-mind complex in a visceral way.
In our fast paced, highly stimulated, over thinking modern world taking time out of each day to simply stop, sit still, pay attention and become present is incredibly important. Sitting still in a quiet place and resting ones attention on ones body and posture, rather than on all of our usual external distractions, gradually allows the nervous system and mind to become increasingly present, relaxed and settled. Over time the mind develops a calmer, more stable and thus perceptive ‘default setting’. Not only does this make for a more enjoyable, less turbulent experience of life but also makes the mind an extremely useful tool when we want to direct it in a specific way.
In seated practise cultivating ones posture is of paramount importance. To be able to sit completely still and not be distracted by discomfort in the body is challenging at first but essential for any real progress. Usually, we constantly adjust our bodies without realising it, even when we sleep, or conversely, we just become fixed within the stagnation of our habitual and unfelt postural imbalances. Similarly, we are so used to having our attention outside and away from the grounded simplicity of our own body that we hardly notice what it does and how it does it. Quiet sitting addresses these issues head on and therefore isn’t easy. However, building tolerance, endurance, willpower and patience are part and parcel of seated practise and these are truly excellent qualities for anyone to foster. Furthermore, once you get a taste of the cool pleasure of becoming calm and still the practise will not be a chore in any way, instead becoming more of a wholesome essential of your day, just like eating breakfast or cleaning your teeth.
Quiet sitting takes time, effort and regularity to develop. Once you start to get the hang of it, it becomes an incredibly restful and rejuvenative process and just like learning anything else, it is a step by step process. Perseverance and good practise brings superb rewards; after a while you are likely to notice how the benefits of sitting still start to seep out into all other areas of your life. You’ll find you have more space and time to notice and appreciate all of the small moments that conjoin to form a full experience of life. Furthermore, with this enhanced perspective you’ll be able to stay much more balanced as you ride the fluctuating waves of the natural ups and downs of life.
Check out the video below and get into some ‘Quiet Sitting’: