When the silence is LOUD: grounding yourself when your mind won’t stop
I used to think I was just bad at meditating because the moment things got quiet, my brain got loud. I'd sit down with the intention to be still—and suddenly, my mind would explode with forgotten to-dos, weird flashbacks, or arguments I should've won in 2012. It felt like the quieter the room got, the noisier my head became.
If you've felt that too, you're not alone. You're not broken. And you're not bad at meditation.
What I didn’t know back then is that there’s actually a name for this: monkey mind. It comes from ancient yoga and Buddhist philosophy and describes the restlessness we all feel when our thoughts jump around like a monkey swinging from branch to branch. For those of us with ADHD, anxiety, or sensitive nervous systems, the monkey can feel especially caffeinated.
But here's the reframe that changed everything for me:
Meditation isn’t about silencing your mind. It’s about learning to stay with it—gently, curiously, without judgment.
✨ A Different Starting Point
When the silence is loud, what you need isn’t more silence—you need an anchor. Something steady to hold onto as you learn to befriend your mind rather than battle it.
That’s why Velasa exists. It’s a space for messy minds and open hearts. For people who want to feel more present but don’t know where to start. For those who’ve tried traditional meditation and left feeling like they failed.
You didn’t fail. You just need a practice that starts where you are.
🌱 Grounding Through the Root Chakra
This week’s meditation focuses on the root chakra, or Muladhara—the energetic center of safety, stability, and belonging. Located at the base of your spine, the root chakra governs how secure and supported you feel in the world.
In yogic philosophy, it’s believed that to grow, we need roots. Just like a tree, we have to feel grounded before we can reach upward. That’s why we begin here.
Through gentle movement, breath, and visualization, this practice helps you connect with your body and anchor into the present. No pressure to clear your mind. No demand for silence. Just breath, sensation, and awareness.
🪨 Using Your Senses to Come Back
One of the things I introduce in this session is the idea of sensory grounding—a simple way to calm your mind using physical sensation. A few examples:
Holding a warm mug in your hands
Rubbing your thumb over a smooth stone or textured ring
Watching the flicker of a candle
Taking in the scent of something familiar or calming
These tools might seem small, but they’re powerful. They bring you out of the spiral and back into your body. They offer a way home.
🤍 You’re Already Doing It
The voice of doubt might still whisper:
"You're not doing it right."
"You’re thinking too much."
"You got distracted again."
But here’s what I want you to know:
Every time you notice you’ve wandered and come back to your breath, you’re meditating.
Every time you choose softness over shame, you’re practicing.
Every time you show up—especially when it’s hard—you’re already doing the thing.
As the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali reminds us: “Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ — Yoga is the stilling of the mind’s movements.”
But stillness doesn’t mean still like a statue. It means steady like a root.
Quiet like a glowing ember.
Present like your breath in this exact moment.
🌸 A Gentle Invitation
This isn’t a silent retreat. It’s not a 45-minute sit. It’s a short, supportive space designed to meet you where you are.
In this 10-minute practice, you’ll:
Do a light body scan (standing + seated options)
Practice mindful breathing with affirmations
Visualize the grounding energy of the root chakra
Try a few beginner-friendly yoga poses and gestures
Explore sensory grounding with simple household objects
It’s accessible. It’s gentle. And it’s okay if your mind wanders. That’s part of it.
You can listen while lying down, sitting on your bed, or standing barefoot on the floor in a messy room with dishes in the sink. You don’t have to be calm to begin. In fact, you don’t have to be anything at all.
You just have to be here. Ready?
👉 Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or SoundCloud.
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