2. Twilight

Another optional but desirable condition is the presence of evening light or twilight. In a bright sunny day or under bright artificial light, it can be somewhat more challenging to disconnect from the world around us compared to the twilight, when objects appear blurred in the semi-darkness and our perception of the world naturally shifts, moving away from the familiar picture of reality. Take advantage of these benefits when mastering the techniques of stopping the internal monologue.

4. Three techniques of inner silence

The first technique is the most challenging yet the most effective. Let's call it «Strong-willed effort» In solitude, find a comfortable position that works best for you. This can be lying on your back or sitting with crossed legs. The posture should be as comfortable as possible so that you can sit for 15-30 minutes without needing to change it. If you are sitting, make sure your back has support and is straight.

An exercise to stop the inner monologue

Close your eyes and relax your body. If it doesn't work right away, just mentally observe your body, your hands, feet and the sensations in them. Then release all the sensations. Now concentrate on your thoughts and observe them flow (or inner monologue). You need to imagine yourself as if you are splitting into two consciousnesses. One consciousness continues to think and chatter as usual, commenting on everything that is happening. Especially in this moment, for example, such thoughts may come to mind: «I won't be able to sit in this position for long,» «What if the phone rings now, I'll have to answer it,» «What if I can't do it,» «This is a silly idea, it's better to go have dinner…» and so on.

The other part of your consciousness silently observes the monologue. When you realize that the monologue can flow on its own, without your participation, try to stop it with an act of will. All these exercises are actually easier than they seem, you just need to have the intention to do it.

So, you have managed to stop the flow of thoughts for a short period of time.

At first, it may only be for a few seconds, but even that is an achievement. Don't give up, continue to stop the internal stream of commentary, giving a clear command for your thoughts to quiet down. Gradually, with each attempt, increase the time without inner conversations. Your consciousness will like this simple exercise because it brings energy and a sense of strength and freedom on its own.

This technique can be practiced not only while sitting in a room but also while lying in a warm bath or taking a twilight walk in a park or garden, as long as there is no one else nearby. The best results are achieved in a forest, garden, or by the seaside, where there are no people or loud music. If this technique has helped you and you have learnt to turn off the internal monologue, you can proceed to the process of remembering past life.

The second technique is called «Counting»

If the first technique is difficult for you to perform or you are unable to turn off the inner monologue, try the second technique based on number counting. In time with your breathing, start counting to yourself from 1 to 20. If at least one extraneous thought comes in the process of counting (and at first it is quite possible), start counting again and so on until the result is achieved. Then you may increase the score to 50 or more. As a result, you will achieve a state of inner silence that does not require any effort to maintain it. The same method is used to enter a lucid dreaming, a state between sleep and reality, which can be called a trance.