Have you ever heard of the silence beyond the breath??

I met an old monk in Varanasi who cared for people who “got lost” precisely at that point. It sometimes happens when one crosses a certain threshold in meditation. These monks would sit quietly, motionless, often with cold skin. They no longer recognized their loved ones and couldn’t explain where they were

-or who they even still were.

Some recovered after weeks. Others never did.

It was often referred to as “enlightenment” – yet some of the old teachers spoke of something else: spiritual slipping. A state in which the ego dissolves, but consciousness does not fully return.

Neuroscientists have discovered that very deep meditation can suppress the so-called Default Mode Network in the brain – the network that maintains your sense of self, time, and memory.

When this system shuts down, it often feels like deep peace or detachment – yet some also experience depersonalization, memory gaps, and emotional numbness or the feeling of not being fully “present” – even long after the practice.

Similar states can also occur during prolonged Silent Retreats or in sensory deprivation tanks – especially when there is a lack of structure or integration.

Because when your ego dissolves and you have nothing to “rebuild” it, a person can collapse into confusion rather than clarity.

The deeper question, then, is not whether such states are real – but:

Do you know who you will be when you return?

Stillness is powerful.

But peace that completely erases your sense of self can sometimes leave nothing to return to.

And this silence can then echo within you for years.

-manu

If you want to dive deeper into meditation, philosophy, and self-exploration, join one of our yoga teacher trainings in Goa, India, or Germany.

Learn how to find inner stillness – without losing yourself.

👉 www.turiyayoga.com