Sitting in silence, my world is far from silent.

Ears hum. Stomach gurgles.
Joints – my knees? the chapel? – creak.
Bird calls, the wind in the trees,
The rattling of the rain,
Cars sweeping past,
The warning horn of a distant train.
Tell me to remember … we are here.
In you.
As you are in us.
The thoughts that I sat down with
Are still chattering in my head.

(time passes … attention shifts)

Breathing in, I know I’m breathing in.
Breathing out, I know I’m breathing out.
(In. Out.)

Breathing in, my breath grows deep.
Breathing out, my breath grows slow.
(Deep. Slow.)

Breathing in, I’m aware of my body.
Breathing out, I calm my body.
(Aware of body. Calming.)

Breathing in, I smile.
Breathing out, I release.
(Smile. Release.)

Breathing in, I dwell in the present moment.
Breathing out, I enjoy the present moment.
(Present moment. Enjoy.)

The meditation instructions in italics were written by Vietnamese monk, teacher, author, and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh. You can read his instructions together with a short excerpt from his book, Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise (HarperOne, 2014) at Fear of Silence (Tricycle blog).