THE SILENT MIND IN MASSAGE AND LIFE

I wake up early in the morning and one of reasons I do is I like the general calmness and silence of that time.

A few years ago I started listening more deeply to the “voice” in my head. For many years before that, I felt that it was often talking too loudly and too much and that good massage really helped turn down the volume of thought. Then I really listened and had to admit – there is no volume to thought! The “voice” in the head is silent.

Now, I know sometimes thoughts follow each other fast, sometimes they are expressing conflicting emotions, and sometimes I imagine I am shouting inside. But the truth is - thought has no volume. Listen to it. It’s like telepathy. It IS telepathy. Except the only mind you can ordinarily read is your own.

When we do Deep Massage or Zero Balancing, we monitor for change. One change I am looking for is for the person to relax into the silence of their mind. How do we know they’re there?

Here are some signs that occur to me:

1. They stop talking.

2. The everyday micro-expressions they usually have on their face disappear.

3. Their breath becomes more relaxed in rhythm and movement.

4. The room itself seems to become quieter.

Other signs you know?

I think back to childhood times silently playing by myself. I aspire to that kind of fun and contentment now too, that is manifest in the engaged and silent smile of the inner child.

“Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn? Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps you know the silence when you haven't the answer to a question you've been asked, or the hush of a country road at night, or the expectant pause of a room full of people when someone is just about to speak, or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you're alone in the whole house? Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful if you listen carefully.”
― Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth