The Big Silence Part 1 (BBC): The Monastery Series

Awhile back, James Martin Sj posted this on his Facebook page and I had to share it with my friends here.  This is part 1 of 12 of a documentary about the experiences of 6 people who spend time at a Benedictine Monastery.   I wanted to give you the opportunity to watch because I think it is relatable and that we can all spend a little time in silence.

Since  I have been going to a Benedictine monastery for the past 25+ years, I am pretty familiar with the idea of doing things in silence to some extent…however, I do not dine with the monks and our lunch/dinner table is loud.

My experience of silence there is usually found walking the hills, sitting in the chapel or the crypt…or our room.But as I was watching this I considered the difference between quiet and silence.  Since I have the house to myself during the day if I am not working or working from home, I enjoy a lot of quiet.  But I have noticed that my brain is still moving, my internal conversations are still going on.  My outside may be quiet but internally I am still on, after all, there is a lot that goes into the day.  However, when I am doing yoga, alone or in a room full of people, and I am in a deep pose, I am quite silent.

Contemplation is that practice which allows me to also sit in a room, in a church, in my car, in a line at the grocery store and be silent.  In my pose or in my prayer, I am listening instead of talking…I am giving over my own voice…sometimes I notice it and it startles me.  But for me, being silent is to be at peace.  It is also something that I can carry into my day and into my interactions. When my prayer life or my yoga slack I find my anxiety builds.  My foundation needs to be solid and that is the brick and mortar of my peace.

I would love to hear about your own experience with silence. Perhaps carving out some time each day for silence would be a useful Lenten endeavor?