by Sousou
Lately, I've been asked about this topic quite a bit. It seems that many of us feel like silence is the answer. It's totally understandable since there is so much being said on a daily basis.
Lately, I've been asked about this topic quite a bit. It seems that many of us feel like silence is the answer. It's totally understandable since there is so much being said on a daily basis.
Words are everywhere that we look, when we listen and even when we think. Verbal communication is the most common form of interaction among humans. This results in the majority of us having the volume at full blast in our own minds. Consciously or unconsciously, we are seeking to lower the volume or maybe to change the tune that's playing.
We can call it "verbal saturation" when we find ourselves cluttered with questions, answers and in a constant mental debate. Everything seems to turn into a task or an equation. A simple decision requires an exhausting amount of contemplation. In this case, yes, I strongly believe that a retreat from words, from speaking and thinking can be extremely beneficial for clarity of the mind and wellbeing.
There are a few things to consider about a silent retreat. The first one is: how do I choose the school which I would like to attend?
You have probably heard of a Vipassana 10-day silent retreat, a very popular practice among silent retreats. In the Buddhist tradition, Vipassana translates as "to have or gain insight on things as they really are". This traditional technique is based on neutral self-observation and the interconnection between the awareness of the breath and the cells of the body. Throughout the 10-day course, practitioners follow a very disciplined schedule and practice. Once the course is completed, there is an increase in insight and mental clarity. What is most noticeable is the feeling of dissolving all that is not you. It's definitely something to experience at least once on your spiritual journey.
Practicing silence created major inner and outer transformation when it came to my own personal journey.
As a teacher of yoga, I’ve had the privilege of sharing my practice and technique with others — creating a practice that promotes physical and mental expression resulting in a state of awareness. Through that awareness, you become all that you are.
Once you’ve created that, we introduce silence and self-observation. At first, when you are in silence, all you can hear are your thoughts. All the memories in your mind will be played over and over, in different scenarios, thanks to your imagination. You see, our mind is one fascinating subject. It can make you believe and feel everything it has accumulated in its “memory card”.
You can think of a very painful experience and the cells in your body will trigger and slightly recreate the sensation that attached to that memory. On top of that, our cultured mind comes with a bunch of judgment, guilt, shame and preconceived ideas of “good” and “bad”. We usually tend to judge ourselves for what we have experienced and how we have reacted to those experiences.
As you begin to keep your thoughts to yourself, you have no choice but to listen to those thoughts. You start noticing things about yourself simply by being attentive to yourself. Your “self” is usually silent, calm and composed. It speaks out of your intuition and creativity. When you are not speaking with your inner voice of truth, you are speaking with your ego.
“The ego” is also very misunderstood. Some have labeled it as “the bad guy”. Trying to get rid of your ego will only create an identity crisis. Unless you live isolated in the wild, away from civilization, chances are you need to identify yourself at some point in your life. Ego is the body’s identity, kind of like your soul’s “roommate”. Take the time to get to know your ego and see how it feels to hang out with “you”.
We tend to over talk or over think because we are not completely attentive to ourselves. The more we talk, the less new things we have to say. We spend our time thinking and recycling the past. Just imagine living with someone that speaks as much as you think in your head! Eventually, as you run out of things to think and different ways to think about them, you will experience brief moments of serene silence. Moments when you can feel each breath and every cell in your body. The feeling of existing and being alive. A state of acceptance and non-resistance which allows you to see your reality as it really is. You perceive things from a neutral and emotionally detached point of view. You establish honesty with yourself and dissolve all thoughts and limited beliefs that are no longer you. Once you get rid of all the unnecessary mental clutter, you will be left with you.
Take it breath by breath,
Be patient with yourself, be patient with others and you will soon realize that we are all just trying our best to exist.
by Sousou
Master teacher
Idolem Hot Yoga Studio CYA-RYS200
Master teacher
Idolem Hot Yoga Studio CYA-RYS200