subject: Stillness Debunking The Common Myths [print this page] What is most commonly misunderstood about Stillness? "I can't hold still for that long." Actually, Stillness isn't about holding still. Yes, there will be times when you go into the Practice of Stillness for 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes and experience going deep inside.
But really what it's about is allowing this life stream of energy to flow through you so it's woven throughout your daily life and it becomes part of who you are. Then, if you're not feeling it anymore you can get back in touch with that connection just with a simple breath. I teach the Practice of the Three Breath Awareness so that you can learn how to effortlessly go back inside and connect to the source of who you are... to the flame of light we all have inside of us.
The Simplicity of Stillness assists in igniting that flame so it expands within you and you can feel it everywhere you go. And when that flame is lit within you it can assist in taking you into new realms of growth, learning and understanding because it's infinite.
So being still is not how I would describe Stillness. There will be times of being quiet, but other times it's really about taking it into the active part of your life.
This reminds me of a time when I was traveling through Europe by train, and when we got on board we needed to coordinate a car and a hotel in the next country, and many other different things, and at the same time, we were going to do a mini-interview with a person who had come from Austria. When we began doing the interview about Stillness, a gentleman in the cabin said, "I'm confused. You talk about Stillness, but you've been in action since the moment you walked in this cabin." I said, "You're right."
Experiences like that help me understand how people often think Stillness is about sitting still... which to me sounds very boring! Stillness is really about weaving it into the everyday activities of your life so that it's there to assist you at all times.
