How to learn to listen for that still small voice inside.

My patients tell me that they do not know what I mean when I tell them to take some quiet time for themselves this holiday, to listen to themselves and find that still small voice inside, that we all have if we are patient with ourselves. So I thought I would spell it out.  Taking quiet time is a skill like any other; it takes practice.  It is difficult to sit quietly without distraction, without looking at our computer screen or our TV or what have you. Being with ourselves is foreign;strange, out of the ordinary, and nobody taught us how to do it unless we were raised in a zen monastery. We live in a manic society where speed power and action is worshipped. But quiet down anyway. Sit still. Close your eyes. Repeat a mantra like the transcendental meditation people do or just listen for your thoughts. I like to keep a little notebook nearby and jot down a feeling I notice, when I notice it. I am a compulsive list maker so if I am being quiet and I see something in the room I want to dust or clean or move or fix, I jot that down in my notebook, I write "dust the piano" on my to do list, that I will do  later. For the quiet time, i will set the timer on my phone, for 15 minutes, for 30 minutes, for an hour, what matters is the intention to slow down and notice my internal world, my emotional landscape. I am going after four qualities: beauty, gentleness, soulfulness, and depth. And being quiet for time periods in a concentrated way, is one sure fire way for me to try to get there.

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