“Listen to the Silence. It has Much to Say” Rumi.
Did you know that the average person speaks 16,000 words per day (Mehl et al, 2007) and on top of that, we listen to the radio, podcasts, music, often when we first wake up or on the way to work or walking in nature. Then there is watching and listening to TV and social media. This constant noise contributes to draining our energy.
Is it any wonder that we find it difficult to switch off and quieten our minds when we want to sleep or meditate?
Mouna roughly translates from Sanskrit as ‘silence’ and to practise it, we take a vow of silence for some time. Practising mouna can have powerful effects on our minds and well-being. I talk from experience here and I also strongly recommend this to my meditation trainees.
It can help develop and strengthen our willpower, it is an opportunity to conserve our energy and it can help to recharge our batteries. It can help us to rebalance and also have precious time to be with ourselves.
It also gives us an opening to create space for personal reflection, to observe our thoughts, to be present to all that is going on around us. It is also a beautiful opportunity to go within.
Practising mouna in environments like an ashram or on retreat is, of course, easier than everyday life, but here are a few suggestions to help.
Start eating one meal a week in silence and then build up from there. This is a wonderful mindfulness practice to eat in silence & be really present with your food. You may find you eat a slowly and chew your food for longer.
At work, why not start a meeting with a minute of silence so that everyone can take time to disconnect from what they were doing prior and connect and focus on the meeting.
At-home practice: when you first get up or get in from your day, where you don’t talk, silence all devices like smartphones, laptops, radios, TVs, etc, around you. Then build up to 6, 12 or 24 hours.
When you walk in nature, practise silence.
Of course, inform everyone at work and your family to not disturb you during this time. Notice the effect on your state of mind, sleep, general wellbeing and meditation practice.
Let me know how you get on.