The Benefits of a Silent Retreat

                                              The Benefits of a Silent Retreat

Many years ago I was in a moment of transition, having left my career as a lawyer and living in the unknown.   A friend suggested that I attend a ten day silent retreat and I signed up that day.  Those ten days changed my life.  In the silence, away from the distractions of the world,  I was able to see how unhelpful the majority of my normal thoughts were.  Most of them were based on conditioning or other people’s ideas of what was important.   The retreat created space for me to listen to my heart, to become clear about what really mattered to me.  As the thoughts became quite I experienced what I consider True Love for the first time. 

I have taught many kinds of retreats the past 38 years.  Although silence may be unfamiliar to many people, there is no doubt in my mind that participants in retreats held in silence leave with deeper and more profound insights that they are able to integrate into their lives at home.

“It is in the sanctuary of nature’s silent places, withmindfuhl attention, that the true liberation the heart can be obtained” - Buddha

A silent retreat allows us to return to our lives rated and renewed with greater wisdom, compassion and clarity about what truly gives our life sustenance and meaning.  

The retreats consist of sessions of yoga asana, meditation, restorative postures, yin yoga, yoga nidra and breathwork.  I have found it is important to have periods of free time where participants have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the natural world or simple be quiet and still on their own.

When you spend several days without passive scrolling, multitasking, or reactive communication, your attention span begins to recover. Many participants return from retreats with a renewed ability to sit with a single task, follow a single thread of thought, and resist the pull of distraction.

Creativity, too, often flourishes in the aftermath. The unconscious mind needs silence and space to make unexpected connections, to process, to play. Many artists, writers, and thinkers have credited extended periods of solitude and quiet with their most generative work.