Silence Speaks

By Jan Deremo Lundy, Yoga Life Editor

You may think the title of this little essay is a contradiction in terms. If one is silent, there is no “sound,” certainly no speaking. Or, is there? For those of us dedicated to spiritual practice in one form or another, we know that engaging in silence is necessary. Whether you are a yogi, a Buddhist, a Christian, a Moslem or a Jew, within each tradition are practices which are centered around and in silence—prayer, meditation, reflection, movement. It is within these practices that silence speaks.

Who is speaking? We are—our highest selves, the divine spark we are—as well as God, Goddess, Spirit, Wisdom, Universe—whatever name we use to acknowledge the Source of Truth within, and that which flows throughout. Let me tell you a little story about attending to the voices that come to us through silence.

It was the winter of 2000. I was taking a 10 day sabbatical to southern California where my dear sister lives. A few years earlier she had introduced me to the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda (author of Autobiography of a Yogi, the founder of the Self-Realization Fellowship, credited as being the man who first brought yoga to the western world) and we occasionally attended a temple founded by him in the nearby community of Encinitas. One block away from the temple was the retreat center he created, his home (The Hermitage), and acres of the most magnificent meditation gardens I have ever seen. Whenever I visited my sister, we faithfully made a pilgrimage to this place of incredible beauty, this little piece of heaven on earth.

Located on a sloping hill, one wanders upward through a series of gardens resplendent with Birds of Paradise, hanging baskets, thick and lush tropical greenery, and palm trees. Pools with enormous fish swimming lazily capture one’s imagination and marble benches call you to sit, reflect and savor the glory all around. Continuing up the gentle grade to the top, you are welcomed by a stunning, panoramic view of the blue green Pacific Ocean. The surfers below challenge themselves with the waves that come to “Swami’s Beach,” as they call it, and whales and dolphins are a common site from these heights.

Silence is the order of the day here and rightly so, as the loveliness is so stunning that there is no need to speak. Nature speaks, God speaks, Yogananda’s spirit speaks, as do the memories of all the pilgrims who have come to this sacred place.

Desirous to spend more time there, in January of 2000, I decided to do a personal, silent retreat at the ashram. Lovely days were spent strolling the gardens, sitting at the base of the same palm tree where Yogananda often sat in meditation, writing in my journal, resting, praying. Simply being. As the silence deepened, so did my process. Journaling was no longer from my head, but from a previously unknown place inside of me that wrote with a poetic flare (even though I’ve never considered myself a poet). I found myself having silent conversations with flowers and trees, with a spider weaving a glistening web, and “understanding” the meaning of life. I was amazed at what happened in the silence. It was a deepening unlike anything I have ever experienced and inside of me it felt like I had come ‘Home.’ Home to God, to myself, to the naturally peaceful places that were within me all along.

I am eternally grateful for my silent retreat at the ashram because it forever changed me. How? Those few days of blissful quiet unlocked a doorway for me to inner silence that I can now carry with me wherever I go. Whether it is sitting in my office, or at the edge of my yoga mat or laying in bed with my sweetheart, the silence feels like God’s presence embracing me in homecoming. Yes, I would love to be able to visit the Meditation Gardens on a regular basis, but California is a long distance away, and my inner garden of peace and beauty is here, right now, only an intention away. And so it can be for all of us...

Silence is one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves. In a world that moves too quickly to listen, it is crucial to our spiritual development that we take time to access the quiet places within where Spirit resides and speaks to us with gentle whispers. On a warm summer day, thousands of miles from Encinitas, I can hear it calling me once again: “Be still and know that I am God...”