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| I heard about it, but can't find anything online. I was only able to find retreats.
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| Don't know if this is what you mean, but... once a month, one of the teachers at our studio would teach his class in total silence. He would lead the practice with his own depiction of the poses, pretty much long holds, and you were encouraged to perform whatever variation suited you at the time. He would ring a bell when it would be time to transition into the next pose. There would be no talking, no adjustments. The class was listed as appropriate for experienced practitioners, obviously. The first time I attended, I thought I wouldn't like it, because I thought having to look at the teacher instead of listening would be annoying to me. I was so wrong. It was one of the deepest practices I had ever had, considering I was still very new to yoga at the time (though quite familiar with asana, not the same thing). It was really my first formal exposure to pratyahara, and I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately this teacher doesn't teach in that time slot anymore, and it's really a shame. The few silent classes I took really helped shape my beginning yoga experience. |
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| wow, that sounds very interesting. i'm always open to anything new (to me) that has to do with yoga. I'm going on vacation to the catskills in June and there are a ton of yoga places in the hudson valley, so i wanted to know what it was in case i saw a place that offered a class about it.
thanks for the info. 
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 1738
   
Location: right where I'm supposed to be | Shhhhhhhhhhhhh, be quiet!!!!  |
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In Buddhist terms, it's also referred to as 'noble silence'.
Jonathon |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 1738
Location: right where I'm supposed to be | This is what my mentor practices, sometimes 8 hours a day.  HOLLY BAGEEZUZ! |
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| me too.
Usually between the hours of 11.00pm & 6.00am |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 1738
Location: right where I'm supposed to be | My mentor tell us stories about his experiences and he has us in stitches (He has the Buddhist/Zen sense of humor)
That is some serious a lone time and hard work. I totally respect a person who can be the master of their domain for such a length of time.
This will be my soul in the next lifetime.
Ya know, getting back on target, I would like to try this with a few of my longterm students. this could be great! Any practice that keeps you focused is beneficial.
Teach that class without any music or audio. MMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmm, that's a mighty fine class, but only for those that like intense oneness.
Edited by mishoga 2007-05-02 10:22 AM
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| mishoga - 2007-05-02 10:14 AM MMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmm, that's a mighty fine class, but only for those that like intense oneness. Can you have partial oneness? Is that halfness? Maybe I should go back to being silent... |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 1738
Location: right where I'm supposed to be | Hehehehehe, good one Orange!!!
I'm sure you know many who are not comfortable with themselves. |
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| Too bad I missed this pun (relating to the subject line) when it was first posted: I heard about it, |
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| That sounds great OM. Many people don't have a home practice and if they only go to class they never get to experience that extreme calmness of no talking. I used to really dislike the yoga classes with instructors who would go on and on talking about alignment. Most of the time they talked too fast to really understand what they were talking about and the chatter would really take away from the practice. I would usually just completely tune them out (it's a skill I have from school) and then refer to my books at home for alignment tips.
I wonder if Silent yoga would be okay for more beginners if a teacher just stuck to very basic poses....or maybe the teacher could just say a few words to keep people from hurting themselves and then they'd zip it.
OrangeMat - 2007-05-01 9:32 PM
Don't know if this is what you mean, but... once a month, one of the teachers at our studio would teach his class in total silence. He would lead the practice with his own depiction of the poses, pretty much long holds, and you were encouraged to perform whatever variation suited you at the time. He would ring a bell when it would be time to transition into the next pose. There would be no talking, no adjustments. The class was listed as appropriate for experienced practitioners, obviously. The first time I attended, I thought I wouldn't like it, because I thought having to look at the teacher instead of listening would be annoying to me. I was so wrong. It was one of the deepest practices I had ever had, considering I was still very new to yoga at the time (though quite familiar with asana, not the same thing). It was really my first formal exposure to pratyahara, and I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately this teacher doesn't teach in that time slot anymore, and it's really a shame. The few silent classes I took really helped shape my beginning yoga experience. |
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| Mantaining noble silence is also a very useful 'off mat' practise to cultivate, as recommended by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita and the Buddha in his Eight fold Path.
If we have to speak, always ask yourself first, is what I'm about to say true? Is it kind and is it necessary?
Jonathon |
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| We had a speaker at our studio the other night, a great teacher of Raja Yoga (Rev. Jaganath Carrera, in case anyone knows the name). He asked us a simple question (why do we practice yoga) and told us we weren't allowed to answer "because it feels good". A few people offered their thoughts, not too many, and then he asked "So why those of you who spoke answer? Because you felt the need to say something?" He wasn't putting anyone down, just pointing out how sometimes (many times, actually) we're compelled to say something just for the act of saying something, without knowing if our words will truly help someone else (or even ourselves). I personally didn't volunteer my thoughts, even though I did have an answer in my mind (and I'm not shy!). I had decided to keep silent for a change. The topic of his discussion that night, by the way, was the Three Jewels: how one's yoga practice is must contain three particular elements. These three elements are a teacher, the teachings and community (satsang). I thought it was a fabulous discussion. |
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| Yes, in Buddhism it's called taking refuge.
"I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharmma, I take refuge in the Sangha, I take refuge until I achieve enlightenment'".
Jonathon |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
 
| OM - whoever that guy was, he is a great teacher. For those who love to talk, keeping silent is a very big tapas! And platitudes like "because it feels good" are so useless. They give you an opportunity to make sound without contributing anything real to the discussion. In my workplace I often do small, simple team building exercises and I simply do not allow people to say they appreciate another staff member because "she is so nice" or that they like to work there because "everyone is so friendly" etc. That is useless small talk that you can use with the cashier in the supermarket or your neighbour. To really let someone know you think they are nice you need to be specific - " she says good morning to me every day and really listens when I tell her about problems I have at work". We have to dig a bit to get those answers, but they do improve the silence  |
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| Yes, Jonnie, those were the exact words he used. Rev. Jaganath was (well, still is, of course) a disciple of Swami Satchidananda, and a great spiritual leader and teacher in his own right. He's the one I quote all the time when I tell people that yoga is the science of happiness. It doesn't get clearer than that! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 399
Location: Oregon | Sometimes my local studio owner will lead a silent class with her own practice. It's an interesting experience, especially since normal classes are so dialogue driven. She usually does it when there's only five or six students in the class, and we're all pretty experienced. I think it's great. You can really focus on breathing and be aware of group energy. Relaxing in some ways, perhaps because you aren't being watched, but also needing to pay attention in a different manner. It's a compliment to my own practice that she feels I'm experienced enough to be lead non-verbally, and I think it compliments my practice by providing variety and a different lens to view this Yoga.
Edited by DJ Dre 2007-05-11 1:08 PM
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| That does sound good.
I converted my ashtanga led class to mysore style. No talking. Last week. Everyone follows their own breath and I go around and adjust. Everyone seemed to like it, even the a first-timer.
Eric
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 1738
Location: right where I'm supposed to be | I'm going to do this next week in my 6:00 a.m. Friday class. I'll let you know if they like it. |
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What silent yoga?
