Choosing Silence in a World That Never Stops Talking

The other day I stopped to get gas, and before I could even open the car door, an advertisement started blaring from the pump. Screens shouting for my attention, voices selling me something I didn’t need. It struck me in that moment just how rare silence has become.

We live in a world where our attention is treated like currency. Everywhere we turn—scrolling, driving, working, even filling up the tank—someone is vying for our focus. And I don’t know about you, but when life feels this loud, I notice how much harder it is to hear myself.

I even made a podcast episode on this on The Nourished Woman Podcast about this, you can listen anywhere you get your podcasts. 

A Simple Practice That Wasn’t So Simple

Years ago, after finishing a weekend of yoga therapy training in Asheville, I decided to try something radical: I drove the entire way home in silence. No music. No phone calls. Just me and myself.

What should have been simple quickly became a challenge. My hand kept drifting toward the radio dial. I caught myself thinking of all the calls I could make during that time—checking in on a friend, catching up on to-dos. Each time, I had to consciously recommit: No. Just silence.

At first, it felt uncomfortable, even boring. But then…something shifted. In that quiet space, little threads of clarity started weaving themselves together. Thoughts I’d been too busy to notice floated up. My body softened. My breath slowed. I could feel myself coming back home.

That drive home revealed something I think we all know but rarely admit: in today’s world, silence takes real effort. But the effort is worth it.

Why Silence Feels So Revolutionary

When we’re constantly plugged into podcasts, social media, conversations, or even background music, there’s little space for our own wisdom to surface. The noise drowns out our intuition.

And I’ve seen it over and over again with the women I work with in my community: when we disconnect from ourselves, uncertainty and anxiety grow louder. We second-guess. We feel less rooted in who we are.

But when we create intentional silence—even if just for a few minutes—we open the door to clarity. That’s where our deepest knowing whispers. That’s where we meet the parts of ourselves we’ve been too busy to notice.

Rethinking Meditation

One of the most common pathways into this kind of silence is meditation. And yet, it’s also one of the most intimidating practices for many women I know.

We think we’re failing if our mind wanders. We think we’re “bad” at it if we can’t focus for long. But here’s the thing: even Ram Dass once said that holding your attention on a single thing for ten seconds is nearly impossible. The monkey mind isn’t the enemy—it’s just human nature.

Meditation isn’t about how long you can hold perfect focus. It’s about your willingness to return. Again and again. With gentleness. With devotion.

When you stop treating your wandering mind as failure, and start seeing each redirection as an act of love, the whole practice changes. Meditation becomes less about performance and more about relationship—building trust with your own consciousness, one breath at a time.

A Devotional Practice

If you’re craving a deeper connection to yourself, I always recommend choosing one meditation practice and sticking with it for a season, rather than hopping between techniques. This consistency lets you move beyond the surface layer of distraction and into the deeper waters where intuition and peace live.

And please—bring playfulness with you. Let self-compassion guide you. This isn’t about being perfect; it’s about creating a sacred little pocket of stillness in your life where transformation naturally unfolds.

Coming Back Home

In a hyperconnected world, silence might feel radical. But it’s also medicine. 

And my invitation for you is simple: try it. Maybe it’s ten minutes without your phone. Maybe it’s a car ride with nothing but your breath. Notice what rises when the noise falls away.

Because when you give yourself the gift of silence, you’re not just finding peace—you’re finding yourself again.

✨ I’d love to know: where do you carve out silence in your life? Or, where do you most long for it?

Written by Keri Marino. 

Keri Marino is a Certified Somatic Yoga Therapist and Inner Work Guide who helps women feel more healthy, whole, confident and empowered. She is known for her calm presence and relatable, yet unapologetically spiritual approach to yoga & life.

She believes that true healing happens when we embrace the full spectrum of who we are in all our beautiful messy complexity. Her offerings provide a loving space for you to do the mindset and body based work that will set you free, reconnect with your divine nature and live a purpose driven life. 

Over the past 16 years, she's taught thousands and thousands of people how to practice yoga in a way that meets them where they are, honors yogas roots and leads to personal transformation. 

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