Given that silence is as essential as breathing, why is it so hard to prioritise? In part 2 of this group discussion on silence, we explore the barriers and benefits of consciously taking time for silence in our busy lives.

Timestamps to key points

[00:55] - Introduction and recap of part 1

[02:00] - Why when silence is so essential, is it so difficult to prioritise and spend time in?

[02:07] - Malik on the impact of technology and the lack of role models

[02:50] - Gary on it not being hard, though we make it hard with conscious or unconscious obstacles. "It's as easy as breathing"

[04:01] - Nour on the challenge being silencing thoughts and an overactive mind 

[04:36] - Silence and stillness are very connected; sitting in silence is just the first layer

[05:17] - Silence as a neutral gear to disengage the mind

[06:14] - Silence as a kind of fasting, i.e. abstaining from noise. To reap the full benefits abstaining alone is not enough

[06:47] - Nour on having had a taste of silence and wanting more

[07:19] - We don’t engage in natural, daily functions such as breathing and eating, and silence, consciously and mindfully?

[08:29] - Malik on the power of pre-dawn silence to think

[08:45] - Nour on sitting in early morning post-prayer silence and walking in the woods, and the clarity and creativity that comes from it

[10:00] - Fears and doubts can also creep in 

[10:30] - Gary on being out in nature and connected to and close to the source of being, cognisant of being a part of creation itself 

[12:00] - The benefits of silence being experienced in early morning silence

[13:15] - Recognising that silence, if it is "the presence of everything" includes the difficult and challenging

Guests

• Malik has lived in many countries and is currently lives and works in NY, USA.
• Nourallah Chakroun lives in Cornwall, UK and is the founder of a women's group based in Truro, Cornwall called Inspiring Women Network (IWN). IWN can be found on twitter @InspiringWomenN and https://www.facebook.com/inspiringwomennetwork/ 
• Gary Gruber lives in Southern Arizona, USA and is a long time educator, active blogger, participates in a variety of groups working on spiritual development, change in organisations and growth in people. His blog can be found here: https://garygruber.com/, and he can be found on twitter @garyrgruber