Happiness Break: Finding Yourself in Silence

5 snips

Oct 2, 2025

Explore the transformative power of silence with guidance from Zen teacher Henry Shukman. Discover how to find stillness in a busy world, tuning in to your soundscape without judgment. Experience the richness of background silence that nourishes inner calm. As you soak in this tranquility, learn to carry this sense of quiet awareness throughout your day. This episode invites you to reconnect with yourself through the practice of deep listening and mindfulness.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Silence Shapes Mind And Brain

Cultivating inner quiet can help process emotions and change brain structure.
Silence can improve focus, perception, motor skills, reduce stress, and bring clarity.

ADVICE

Settle Into Stillness First

Sit comfortably and let your body settle before starting the practice.
Bring attention to the present with a few deep breaths and release your to-do list.

INSIGHT

Quiet Lives Beneath Sound

Quiet is intrinsic to our awareness and becomes clearer through focused hearing.
Sensing the quiet beyond sounds reveals a felt stillness, not merely absence of noise.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Zen and mindfulness teacher Henry Shukman guides us in a meditation that invites us to listen deeply and find clarity in quiet.

How To Do This Practice:

Find Stillness: Sit comfortably in a quiet space. Close your eyes if you’d like, and allow your body to settle.
Bring Your Attention to the Present: Take a few deep breaths. Let go of to-do lists or distractions, gently arriving in this moment.
Tune In to the Sounds Around You: Begin to notice the soundscape of your environment. Near or far, loud or soft. Don’t judge or label the sounds, just hear them.
Notice Background Silence: Beyond individual sounds, sense the quiet in which all sounds arise. This isn’t just an absence of noise, it’s a felt sense of stillness.
Soak in the Quiet: Rest your awareness in this space of quiet. Let it wash over you, soften you, and bring you back to yourself.
Gently Return: When you're ready, bring small movements back to your body. Wiggle your fingers or stretch. Open your eyes and carry this quiet awareness into the rest of your day.

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.

Today’s Happiness Break Guide:

Henry Shukman, is a poet, mindfulness teacher, and author of Original Love: The Four Inns on the Path of Awakening.

Learn more about Shukman’s work: https://henryshukman.com/about

Order his book, Original Love: The Four Inns on the Path of Awakening: https://tinyurl.com/mwv5cuxr

Related Happiness Break episodes:

A Mindful Breath Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/mr9d22kr

A Meditation for When You Feel Uneasy: https://tinyurl.com/4x27ut3p

Find Calm When You Can’t Clear Your Mind: https://tinyurl.com/3u8k2j8h

A Meditation on Original Love and Interconnectedness: https://tinyurl.com/ye6baxv3

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

How To Tune Out The Noise: https://tinyurl.com/4hhekjuh

How To Show Up For Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/56ktb9xc

How Holding Yourself Can Reduce Stress: https://tinyurl.com/2hvhkwe6

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/3bs7udur