On Stillness

Stillness is not a technique. It is what is left when the noise quietens.

Most people who try to "become still" attempt to add stillness on top of an already busy life — another item on the list. It rarely takes root that way. Stillness arrives when we stop adding and let something fall away.

The breath, not as a tool

Sit. Notice that you are breathing. Don’t lengthen it, don’t deepen it, don’t count it. Just notice. The mind will have opinions about this. Let it.

Ten minutes is not too short

People sometimes apologise for only sitting ten minutes a day. Ten minutes a day, kept faithfully for a year, will change you more than three hours twice a month. The body keeps a quiet record of what we do consistently.

Silence is full

Silence is not empty. It is where the answers that matter actually live — answers we couldn’t hear above the noise of the day.

If you would like to sit with others, the Foundation runs weekly sittings in Accra and online. You are welcome.