Mouna is a traditional Yoga practice, and is a practice in many spiritual traditions, isn’t it?

As Yogis, we want to withdraw from the control of the senses. The senses draw us outwards and fragment our minds and being with all the varying stimuli they bring into to our minds to be processed there and understood and responded to. 

Dedicated Yogis want to return to rest in that whole, eternal, changeless Source of Being. And the senses are instrumental in taking us away from our source, which creates much dis-ease within us. 

Of all the senses, the tongue is said to be the most troublesome. It controls us through speech and taste. Think about how strong our cravings for certain tastes can be! And,,,,,how difficult it be in so many circumstances to hold our tongue, even when we KNOW it would be better for our peace of mind and heart to say nothing! Ha ha. 

This is one of the challenges of mouna. However, it doesn’t really explain to us the value of mouna. The next challenge I want to address points towards that. 

Silence does not only mean not talking. On retreat, we also know it means not gesturing to each other. Ha ha. That is still communicating, right? Still causing thoughts to come into the mind from external stimuli and interactions, yes?

Silence means really being present with oneself, mindful to all that is taking place in one’s being in the moment. 

We usually run from just this. And so we are non-silent in our addiction to our devices and screens if there is no-one to talk to and interact with. 

Many students and clients tell me these days that they find it hard to switch off. This is true. We are over-stimulated. However, it is also the case that we don’t want to “switch off” from the external stimuli. We don’t want to sit in silence with ourselves.

In fact, it is the last thing we want to do. If we stop the distraction into outer things and experiences, if we stop interacting with our devices and slow down and simply “be” for a while, we might have to start feeling that underlying unease that we avoid at all costs. 

The Yogi is going to be with this unease and welcome the enquiry into it, into it’s source. Yoga is ultimately an enquiry into “Who am I?”, so that the true Self, beyond the adopted personal self, may be revealed. 

Patanjali Maharishi in the Yoga Sutras says, in the second chapter on Practice, 

These, the subtle ones, can be reduced by resolving them backward into their origin. II v 10

The “subtle ones” are the mental afflictions, disturbing states. Patanjali invites us to move back to their Source to resolve them, which is the Source of the mind. 

And so the Yogi knows that that which we would normally avoid with all our effort, is really the gateway to that which we are seeking in our fruitless distractions (- we have done it all our life, all of us, and they never give us the lasting ease and contentment we crave, right?). The enquiry within into that which might arise within our silent, undistracted states in the practice of Mouna, is therefore the opening into the lasting contentment, peace and happiness we all crave. 

In mouna, the waves of the mind withdrawn from sense stimulation become quite and we begin to glimpse the Source of mind, which is the heart of being,…which is the hidden treasure, the pearl that is our Essential undying, whole, unchanging Self. 

Spiritual practice also involves some degree of “burning”. Those who join me on retreat year after year know for dedicated practice know this. The retreat involves a discipline, not for the sake of plucking a structure out of thin air which everyone needs to abide by.  Rather, the nature of retreat is to provide an opportunity for transformation through committed practice. And for transformation to happen, we need a little fire! Just as base metal transformed into gold passes through fire, so we need a little fire to be transformed also. That fire on spiritual retreats is often not only the spiritual practices themselves, but also the discipline of the retreat.

When we have to pass through a little friction, even such as the act of keeping silence for a small portion of the day, then it is as if that which is not really us, which seems to cling to us but which in fact perhaps we cling to, begins to be rubbed away in that friction. And the light of that which is real within us begins to reveal itself. 

Maybe painful emotions surface, and uncomfortable thoughts and beliefs, but if in the undistracted structure and practice of silent time, we can witness, experience and allow these emotions to move through us and dissolve in the heart of our Essential nature being revealed in the presence of mindful Silence. 

Other benefits of the practice of Mouna are said to be:

• lowering blood pressure.
• improving concentration and focus.
• calming racing thoughts.
• stimulating brain growth.
• reducing cortisol.
• stimulating creativity.
• improving insomnia.
• encouraging mindfulness.

For those of us on the spiritual path of Yoga however, I am sure that the greatest blessing of time in Mouna, after we pass through the initial discomfort, is that it does reveal to us the treasure within, the blessings of the Self, the one, eternal, whole Self whose nature is sat chid ananda, Truth Consciousness Bliss.

What an ironic state of affairs that we spend our lives distracting ourselves, running with all our might in a search for that which is right here, in the heart of being, our true home and place of belonging. 

Mouna reveals to us what St Francis is quoted as saying…. 

“What you are looking for is where you are looking from…”

A good way to start the practice of mouna, is to give your very first moments on waking to silence. It could just be until you have cleaned your teeth and/or had your first wake-up drink. OR, if you have a morning meditation practice, it is wonderful to keep silent until you start to sit for practice. It will support your practice tremendously. 

If you have family with you, maybe even ten minutes outdoors in silence, with your phone off each day, could be your way to practice mouna. 

 I’d love to hear how you get on if you experiment with mouna, and how you manage to fit it into your day.