Sacred Silence

This meditation is taken from the book "Awakening Spirits" by Tom Brown as taught to him by Grandfather, Stalking Wolf. This contains the bare essence of detail to help coach someone through sacred silence. As a best selling author of survival and nature books, Tom shares these unique methods of meditation and self-discovery -- truly "a native American path to inner peace, healing, and spiritual growth".

Lie down face up in a comfortable, flat area. Use a pillow to raise the knees slightly so the back has no strain. Have a blanket to cover the body to keep it warm during the session.

Sacred Silence Sequences

Check out the underlined key words, they signal where the concentration is placed for each sequence. The eyes should remain closed during the entire session. Italics shows key phases for the sacred silence coach.

• Breathing Sequence - Concentrate fully on the breathing. Feel the rise and fall of the chest. Follow the flow of breath in and out of the lungs and across the lips. Move on after 60 seconds ...
• Command Breaths Sequence - 3 to 5 times, take a deep breath, hold briefly, and release completely. Focus all distraction, tension, and discomfort into the breath, let it go with the exhalation. Let everything flow out with the air leaving the lungs. Repeat 2 to 4 more times. Imagine and believe that all distraction is passed out of the body and mind.
• Complete Body Relaxation Sequence - this always begins with a deep breath, hold this breath while flexing and tighting parts of the body. Release this flexing with an exhale. Repeat tightening with distractions and then release on exhale. Repeat until all is relaxed.

  Do so on the follow body areas:

  take a deep breath, hold while flexing and tightening the

  1. feet, ankles, shins, and calves

  Exhale and release. Take a deep breath, hold while flexing, and tighting the

  2. thighs, buttocks, and lower abdomen

  Exhale and release. Take a deep breath, hold while flexing, and tighting the

  3. upper abdomen, back, and chest

  Exhale and release. Take a deep breath, hold while flexing, and tighting the

  4. shoulders, arms, forearms, and hands

  Exhale and release. Take a deep breath, hold while flexing, and tighting the

  5. head, neck, and face

  Exhale and release. Take a deep breath, hold while flexing, and tighting the

  6. entire body.

  Exhale and release.

• White Light Sequence - imagine a column of pure white light descending. It is warming, soothing, and relaxing.

  Imagine the white light enters the toes, filling the

  1. feet, ankles, shins, and calves

  It is soothing, warming, relaxing and healing. Now the white light enters the knees, filling up

  2. thighs, buttocks, and lower abdomen

  It is soothing, warming, relaxing and healing. The white light enters the rest of the torso, filling up

  3. upper abdomen, back, and chest

  It is soothing, warming, relaxing and healing. The white light goes over and down the

  4. shoulders, arms, forearms, hands, and fingers

  It is soothing, warming, relaxing and healing. The white light enters the

  5. head, neck, and face

  Feel it soothing, warming, relaxing and healing as the white light fills the

  6. entire body

  Feel the white light grow brighter as it encapsulates the entire body, soothing, warming, relaxing, and healing.

  Feel a deep sense of security and peace.

• Body Position Sequence - Give full attention to the position of the body. Note how each area is positioned. Spend 60 seconds.
• Gravity Sequence - Feel the heaviness of gravity pulled by earth. Imagine every part of the body is heavy like there is no skeletal system.
• Pain Sequence - Focus on a particular pain, discomfort, or distraction. Qualify it, describe it completely in the mind. Shape it and see its shape in the mind. Mold the shape into a ball. Shrink the ball until it is the size of a marble. Now pass the ball out of the body. Imagine it disappears into the earth ... pause, can fill with music or drumming.
• Soaring Flying, Floating Sequence - Imagine the body becoming lighter and lighter. Imagine floating above the body. Soar or fly across an imagined landscape. pause ... spend 60 seconds soaring and visualizing the landscape, can fill with music or drumming. Returning from flight pay full attention.
• Trigger Sequence - now it is time to feel the breath to the heart. Take a gentle deep breath, hold it, and imagine the last shreds of tension, distraction, or pain build in the chest along with the breath. Let go of the breath easily, keep exhaling until you feel the heart beating in the chest.

  Take a gentle deep breath, hold it, and imagine the last shreds of tension, distraction, or pain build in the chest along with the breath. Let go of the breath easily, keep exhaling until you feel the heart beating in the chest and wrists.

  Take a gentle deep breath, hold it, and imagine the last shreds of tension, distraction, or pain build in the chest along with the breath. Let go of the breath easily, keep exhaling until you feel the heart beating in the chest, wrists, and thighs.

  Take a gentle deep breath, hold it, and imagine the last shreds of tension, distraction, or pain build in the chest along with the breath. Let go of the breath easily, keep exhaling until you feel the heart beating in the chest, wrists, thights, and neck.

  Take a gentle deep breath, hold it, and imagine the last shreds of tension, distraction, or pain build in the chest along with the breath. Let go of the breath easily, keep exhaling until you feel the heart beating in the chest, wrists, thighs, neck, and a tingling in the scalp.

Moving away from the Sacred Silence do the following.

1. Stretch gently and move hands and feet slightly.
2. Stretch gently and move arms and legs slightly.
3. Slowly come to a full sitting position.
4. CAUTION: this may cause dizziness or light headedness.

This deep relaxation sense may last up to an hour. Often it will be accompanied by an expansion of awareness. If reversing roles with a partner, wait at least thirty minutes before reversing. With daily practice both partners should be able to repeat the medition solo. After some more time, this meditation should be able to be repeated almost anywhere.

NOTE: Pain can be self-doubt, fear, failure, or any negativity.

Sacred Silence Worksheet by David Scott