Yoga with silence in Kathmandu
No music. Just breath and stillness.
Silent classes have no music. You hear the facilitator's voice, your breath and the city outside, and sometimes nothing at all. Some are fully silent, with spoken instructions kept to a minimum or left out.
No classes scheduled in the next two weeks.
What Silence does for you
Without a soundtrack there is nothing to follow but your breath and your body. You notice more: small adjustments, the sound of your exhale, the moment your mind wanders and comes back. Many people find it grounding, and some find it uncomfortable at first, which is part of the practice. The quiet often stays with you after you walk back out onto the street.
It suits you if
- music in classes distracts you
- you want to hear your own breath
- you like a focused, no-frills atmosphere
- you are curious about meditation retreats and want a taste
Read the full guide to SilenceWhat a class is like, your first time, history and the words you will hear
What a class is like
The style varies: silent Hatha, Iyengar, Yin or meditation classes, and Mysore-style Ashtanga where everyone works through their own sequence quietly. The facilitator speaks only to cue, sometimes very sparingly, and may leave long stretches of quiet. You hear breath, creaking floorboards and street sounds, which become part of it. Some classes and retreats keep noble silence before and after, meaning no chatting. Pace and sweat depend on the style; the atmosphere is calm and focused.
Your first time
- Arrive early so you can settle in without rushing or talking once class has started.
- Switch your phone off completely, not just to vibrate.
- Tell the facilitator before class if you are new, since there may be little explanation during it.
Good to know
- Long silence can feel unfamiliar or stir things up; it is fine to open your eyes, move or step out quietly.
- Some silent classes expect you to know a sequence already, as in Mysore-style practice, so check the level before you go.
Where it comes from
Silence is one of the oldest elements of contemplative practice. In Sanskrit, mauna means silence, both refraining from speech and the inner quiet of the mind, and vows of silence appear across Hindu and Buddhist traditions, as well as in Christian monasticism.
Many of the lineages behind modern postural yoga were taught in quiet, and some still are: Mysore-style Ashtanga and Iyengar classes generally have no music. Music in yoga classes is a fairly recent, largely Western habit, so a silent class today is less a rule than a choice.
Silent retreats became widely known in the West through the Vipassana movement. S. N. Goenka taught ten-day courses held in noble silence from 1969, and they now run around the world.
In a loud city like Berlin, quiet has become something people seek out, from silent yoga and meditation evenings to silent retreats in the Brandenburg countryside.
Words you will hear
- Mauna
- Sanskrit for silence, including the quiet of the mind.
- Noble silence
- An agreed silence, with no talking, gestures or eye contact, kept on many retreats.
- Pratyahara
- Withdrawal of the senses: turning attention inward instead of outward.
- Drishti
- Gaze point: where you rest your eyes to steady your attention.
- Mysore style
- A class where everyone practices their own Ashtanga sequence quietly, with individual help from the facilitator.