Turn Off the TV and Radio...Just for a Moment

I like to take advantage of those quiet moments in my day.  Sometimes it's so crazy.  The kids and my husband can't live without some kind of noise.  I think the favorite part of my day is the drive from school in the morning.  My kids always have early practice and there is almost no traffic.  It's a soothing way to start the day.  Once I start work the phones are going and everything is nuts. But if I'm scrubbing the grout in the bathroom I've got to have some music

Have a look at my latest entry. I think I understand the importance of the silence of the mind. http://www.wellsphere.com/viewActivityPosting.s?articleId=3819&activityTypeId=580

Music gets me into the mood especially while doing the regular chores, though I do like silence too. I find music celebrative, meditative and sometimes also make one cry. Though I do agree that too much of external stimulation has made one actually deaf to the subtle sounds of nature .... when have you listened to a dew drop fall ...... About TV the lesser said or lesser watched the better but sometimes some programs are beneficial too. So i guess there r pros n cons of everything. Maybe what v need is a balance

Definitely, there are times when I love listening to music and that can be extremely meditative. But to me, there are different levels of meditation, and it can be really profound to immerse yourself in silence--after all, you realize there really is no such thing as silence, since birdsong or the hum of the radiator act as their own music. :) It's about getting to a deep level of concentration, and while music can have meditative effects on me, it doesn't necessarily lead me to the kind of focus I have in silence.

I have to agree with Larisa R. I have trouble concentrating unless there is music playing, especially if I'm trying to work. I have to have music on to sleep; luckily my husband couldn't care less how much noise I make while he sleeps. Even with soft yoga music playing, it took me probably a year to be able to relax into final relaxation in yoga and I'm still not fully relaxed. It doesn't help that I don't often sleep flat on my back; there are yoga positions we do in class that I regularily sleep in. I have learned to take a scented (lavendar) eye pillow and a pillow for under my head to class with me. I also take a sweater and soft socks as well. Making sure I make a bathroom trip sometime beforehand helps too. I am slowly getting there; someday maybe I'll zonk right out and have to have someone wake me, as many of the women in my classes have in the past...if the teacher starts blasting Led Zeppelin or something of that flavour, that is!

Walking is very relaxing as long as you look out and notice life. Less TV and Radio is a not good idea in the sense that TV and Radio can have negative affects on the individual. Music I love -- Broadway Show Tunes. We need to experience life and feel sensation. TV, especially, experiences life for people -- that is not healthy -- it's numbing. People need to experience life: feel, relate, emote and live life to the fullest.

There are people who find listing to music (especially audiophiles) to be calming. Personally I enjoy listening to music to relax - my iPod plays all day at work and I sleep with music. If I am away from the city and camping or walking through the Avenue of the Giant Redwoods (up North), then I enjoy the sounds of nature and prefer to have no music. Some people find driving meditative. I don't think meditation needs to require one sitting in silence, on the other hand, I understand what you are saying.

Too often, people need a distraction because we're so afraid of the idea of being "unproductive." For some people, it triggers guilt--for others, fear. After all, the prospect of being alone with yourself can be daunting--what if you get bored? What if you're confronted with something you don't want to face about yourself? Even those simple moments can be scary for some. But in my experience, they're rewarding--they bring you closer to yourself, they bring you closer to the moment. I'm all for technology but there are times when I welcome walking away from my computer, e-mail, cell phone, TV, etc., and getting more deeply in touch with myself. I love your simple suggestions on how do do this!