Did you know that the average person speaks 16,000 words per day (Mehl et al, 2007) & then 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 & listening to TV & social media. This constant noise contributes to draining our energy.
Is it any wonder that we find it difficult to switch off & quieten our mind when we want to sleep or meditate?
Mouna roughly translates from Sanskrit as ‘silence’ & to practise it we take a vow of silence for a period of time.
Practising mouna can have powerful effects on our mind and wellbeing. I talk from experience here & I also strongly recommend this to my meditation trainees.
It can help develop & strengthen our willpower, is an opportunity to conserve our energy & it can help to re-charge our batteries. It can help us to rebalance & 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 every day life but here are a few suggestions to help.
*Start off eating one meal a week in silence & 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 slower & 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 with what they were doing prior & connect and focus on the meeting.
*At home practise it when you first get up or get in from your day, where you don’t talk, silence all devices like smartphones, laptops, radios, tv’s 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 & your family, to not disturb during this time.
Notice the effect this has on your state of mind, your sleep, general wellbeing and a meditation practise.
Let me know how you get on.
