Silence is not absence, but it is a different kind of work.

We live in a world that rarely stops talking.

Notifications, Podcasts, Music, Messages, Reels…

Even when the world becomes quiet, we often rush to fill the silence.

But silence may be doing something very different.

A study published in Heart found that just 2 minute periods of silence between pieces of music produced measurable relaxation responses - with reductions in heart rate, blood pressure and respiration.

Interestingly, the pauses were in some respects more relaxing than the music itself.

Those of you following Maestro Ilayaraja’s re-recording would now realise the role of silence.

The science around environmental noise is even clearer.

Chronic exposure to excessive noise is associated with sleep disturbance, cardiovascular effects and other health consequences.

The World Health Organization has identified environmental noise as an important public-health concern.

But there is a distinction we often miss:

Silence outside is not necessarily silence within.

We can sit in a quiet room and discover that the mind is still speaking.

Thoughts & memories 💭

To-do lists & plans 📝

Judgements & fears 😨

This is where the Indic tradition offers something profound.

1️⃣ Antar Mouna, yes, Inner Silence.

Antar Mouna does not mean forcing the mind to become blank.

It begins with observation.

We notice sounds, sensations, thoughts and emotions without immediately becoming involved in them.

We live in a world that rarely stops talking.

The practice gradually changes our relationship with mental activity.

2️⃣ And then there is Yoga Nidra.

Rather than merely switching off, Yoga Nidra systematically takes awareness through the body, breath, sensations and deeper layers of the mind while the body moves towards profound relaxation.

Together, Antar Mouna and Yoga Nidra offer two complementary approaches:

Antar Mouna: learning to be with what arises.

Yoga Nidra: learning to rest deeply while remaining aware.

Perhaps this is why Mouna has held such an important place in our tradition.

Not because silence is magical but because when the noise reduces, we begin to notice what was already there.

We don’t necessarily need two hours. Let us begin with two minutes then scale it up to ten minutes.

Then make our meal times, silent 🤫, and that’s what we practice since 2011 at Shrimath Yoga.

No phone.

No music.

No podcast.

No conversation.

Just sit. Observe. Listen.

Not merely to the silence outside, but listen to what the silence reveals within.

Antar Mouna.

Yoga Nidra.

Silence.

Not an escape from life.

A way of meeting life with greater clarity.

If you would like to experience Shrimath Yoga Nidra, we are having an online batch from Nov 10 to Dec 06 at 7- 8 pm IST.Know more at: https://www.shrimathyoganidra.com/intermediate