5 Simple Ways to Find Silence

Silence is everywhere, even in the midst of all the noise that surrounds us. It’s here, now, in this very moment.

If it’s all around us, then why is it so difficult to find? Oftentimes, it isn’t so much a matter of finding the silence, as it’s paying attention to what is already here.

During meditation, you move into your silent core. You can slip into the same quiet awareness even when you’re not meditating. All it takes to experience peaceful, silent meditation to experience peaceful, silent meditation is a subtle shift of attention from “out there” to the part of you that is always aware—right here, right now.

Learning to be aware is one of the most important skills you can attain. How else will you discover who you really are if you don’t take the time to stop and listen? When you’re aware of your own inner stillness—and its eternal presence—you consciously connect with that great ocean of Pure Being that is always supporting and sustaining you.


There are so many ways to connect with silence. Here are five ideas to help you find it:

1. In the early morning hours, pay attention to the hush that precedes the break of day. Can you hear it? Can you feel it?
2. When you gaze at a flower, recognize that you are connected and both part of the same, larger universe.
3. Allow yourself to bask in the crystal clear silence of freshly falling snow. Feel the magic of that pristine moment.
4. Notice how nature becomes quiet before a storm. The birds stop singing and the crickets stop chirping in the moments before a storm. Even the wind quiets down. It’s as if all living things are standing in awe of that silent power. Let yourself experience that same sense of wonder.
5. And then, of course, there is the silence between your thoughts. It’s easy to overlook, yet it is always there.

There is only one awareness or silence. That silence is the voice of the eternal presence that undergirds everything. When you learn to anchor yourself in that silence, you will begin moving with its rhythm. Follow its leading, and life becomes a flow for you.

Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn once said, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” Living in the flow of life is “surfing” at its best. When you can do that, you don’t have to look for the silence any more. You are the silence. That understanding is more than enough.