Last Updated on May 16, 2021 by astrologerbydefault

I have written a lot on spiritual practices, from Dhyan, Pranayam, simple Tratak to easy lifestyle changes which will go in very deep. But someone in the contact form wanted me to write on the simplest possible spiritual exercise. So here it is, Maun/Silence.

Our ancients have practiced Maun/Silence and even today spiritual seekers often go silent for days on end. My brother stays silent for minimum 3 days at a stretch once in a while to recoup his energies. Maun is the easiest thing which everyone can practice. It is very easy, you just do not speak anything at all. If you can stay completely silent for one day of the week, it would be a huge achievement. It is easy, nothing esoteric, just stay silent for one day out of the seven, every week. You can do this on your weekly holiday. It is nothing special, you will do all your regular activities as you do them, but do not speak, under any circumstance do not utter a word. You can write notes to communicate.

Do you have any conception on how much energy you waste when you speak?

Speech is not just sound from your lips, it has very deep linkages with your energy body. I had written about the creation of the seed of sound, the way each Akshar links to your energy body in my previous posts. The three chakras in your head around the Bindu at the top of your head are called Vama, Jeyshta and Rudri but they are also the creation of sound. Sound in Sanatan-Dharma/Hinduism, is Shabda-Brahma, the vibrations of the Ultimate reality itself. The central Bindu is the seed of sound called Para-vak, the next three phases of sound called Pashyanti, Madhyama and Vaikari, these are linked to these 3 chakras set in a triangle in your head.

Para-vak is pure One-ness, it has no form nor definition, it exists at the top Bindu of the Shri chakra. It is the state of Ultimate realisation, the seed form with all possible potential. Next is Pashyanti where the energy is lowered and differentiated. Pashyanti can be understood as the faintest glimmerings of an idea, the thought, the feeling/Bhava. Then is the Madhyama phase, here we know what it is that we are going to speak, we have the clear formed intention and sequence of ideas ready. Finally is the lowest energy version of all this, Vaikhari, the actual uttered words which come out of your lips. And of course when you utter the words you are drawing on your body’s individual chakras to power them.

If you can control the Vaikhari portion of this sequence, gradually you will retrace this sequence till you achieve Para-vak, the Ultimate realization. This process will not happen in one day, it will take its time and with routine practice, one day a week. Initially you will just maintain complete silence for a day. Over a few months you will realise that you are overall speaking less words, but whatever you speak has increased in intensity. Be careful after this phase starts as you can actually bless or curse with your words. Later you will realise that on your weekly silent day your mind has started becoming still, no thoughts seem to rise in your mind. Enjoy this when it happens, it will lead you to more things within yourself.

Closely followed by Maun/Silence is another simple practice, if you can do it. Do not touch anyone else for this one day of the week. Touching another living being transfers energy. If you are doing your spiritual practice, and you keep on touching others, this will make your higher self give away your energy out of Kindness. The more you isolate your aura, and do not allow it to mingle with persons of lower energy levels than yours, the faster you will progress. And there are lots of lower energy living beings around you as very few people do regular spiritual practice. The real Yogis would stay in isolation for just this reason.

So if you do both together, Silence + No touching others, together for one day a week, its effects on your energy body will be enhanced.

(And am writing this because I have done this myself. I went through a rather curious phase in life for a few years. I was living alone in a rather remote place, doing my job which had 2 days off per week. So practiced Maun/silence on these 2 days. Then we Indians don’t shake hands, don’t hug or anything like that, and most of my work colleagues were men, so despite regularly working in my organisation I was not required to touch anyone for extended periods. And I always observe my internal energies very closely. Not touching others for upto 3-4 months at a stretch, coupled with the weekly silence sessions was energy-wise awesome.)

Spiritual realisation an inherent part of yourself, you do not have to go anywhere to realise yourself. It is natural, effortless and easy, and a part of you. When you practice Maun, you are telling your innermost self that you don’t have to do anything, just Be.