Antar Mouna means “inner silence”. It is a meditation technique that teaches us to observe the mind without fighting it. We don’t try to stop thoughts: we learn to watch them from outside, and so they lose their grip.
The stages
- Sense awareness: we listen to surrounding sounds, far and near, without naming or judging them. Then we feel the body and its contact with the floor.
- Watching spontaneous thoughts: we let the mind think whatever it likes and simply watch, like someone watching cars pass from a bridge.
- Creating and releasing: we consciously choose a thought, observe it for a while and let it go.
- Silence: with practice, gaps appear between thoughts. That is inner silence.
Tips
Start with ten or fifteen minutes and practise the first stages for weeks before moving on. The key is the witness attitude: everything that arises is welcome, and everything can go.
This practice is very helpful for people with a busy mind, because instead of suppressing thoughts it gives them space and order.
