Silence

The impact of altered hearing can be profound. Increased anxiety and even paranoia are associated with hearing loss in individuals who once had full hearing capability. But what about the impact of fully exercising the ability to hear and focus on what is heard?

Some people live a life in reaction to sound. Constantly blasting televisions. Omnipresent ear buds attached to iPods or iPhones. What is the effect of all this sound on the mind? 

Appreciating unfocused sound is part of the meditation process. Allowing the mind to detach from specific sounds facilitates entering a meditative state. Meditation's health-promoting effects on the brain and the body's systems are being discovered and documented by medical researchers. It is reasonable to think that detachment from environmental sound for intentional periods of meditation has a positive effect on the brain.

Meditation is a form of contrived silence for the mind. From that silence often emerge ideas which can restore or inspire. From that silence emerges awareness of emotions which can motivate or heal. Seeking silence for the mind is a skill which comes with daily practice.