On The Practice of Mauna
*From August 2009's Studio Newsletter
Mauna is a practice common in many yoga traditions. The word means to take a vow of silence. Some practitioners do this for hours, some for days, some for weeks, and some even for years. In the ISHTA tradition, the Mauna practice is recommended during the vacation season for one to two hours a day.
We practice Mauna as a means to conserve our energy and as an introspective technique for healing and revitalization. At the end of Mauna, we can take our Prana, or life force, in the form of heat from the palms of our hands and bring it to the skull, brain, face, heart, or any other area of the body that needs energy. The effects of this practice can yield feelings of elation and balance.
