A weekend of Peace + Quiet, stress relief, and personal development.
You might not realize it… but silence is probably the thing you’re craving!
Silence is an excellent way to de-stress and relax while tuning into and developing a strong awareness of what’s happening in your mind that is causing you suffering. The benefits of practicing silence are endless. To name a few, silence forces you to confront your inner conflicts and elevates your self-awareness in a way that helps you communicate deeply with others. It helps you channel your energy, gives you clarity, improves your listening skills and understanding, makes your relationships more harmonious and so much more.
The real healing comes from prolonged silence. This retreat is not the same thing as keeping your Spotify off for an afternoon, being home alone for a day and therefore not speaking to anybody, or putting your phone in a drawer at the end of the day. This is a sacred spiritual practice that has been utilized by many different religious and spiritual traditions as a way to turn inwards and connect to spirit.
I've been profoundly impacted by the practice of Silence. When I was in my YTT at Anuttara Ashram a couple of years ago, we did a full week of mouna (Sanskrit word for Silence). After that, I was given a Sadhana by my teacher to practice one full month of silence to support vishudda, my throat chakra. I did it while working and going about my day to day life. I actually wore a lanyard with a badge inside that said "In Silence" so that people wouldn't think I was crazy. It's not very often you meet somebody who does not speak.
For a lot of people the idea of not speaking, even for a day, feels daunting. How will you communicate? What will you do with no conversation in the house? Communicating is a very important part of life because our world is created through conversation when we share our life experiences, get to know a new friend, or have a disagreement. Communication creates a strong sense of identity and therefore perpetuates a concept of who we think we are.
Before you know it, who we think we are becomes dictated by our thoughts and conversations with others and we get completely lost in it. Everybody on this planet has been subject to this, even the greatest teachers, saints, monks and gurus.
Silence provides us with the opportunity to watch. To observe the activity of our minds without taking action on its antics. When you give yourself the space to observe your thoughts, you become able to see how they activate your emotions and drive your behaviour without getting involved... and eventually, your egoic mind will settle while something magical arises.
Once your thoughts have settled and you are deep within the stillness, an awareness arises revealing the interconnectedness of everything that is. You begin to see the world in a new way, one that is bursting with life and it becomes so amazingly beautiful. Silence is the beginning which transforms into listening beyond what your ears can hear. I'm talking about a deep inner listening where the sound is that of the universe. It's truly something you have to experience to understand.
Each day you will be verbally guided through different types of meditative practices and yoga asana exercises. There will be outdoor time (weather depending) such as labyrinth walks and connecting with the trees and nature. There will be space for Q&As where you'll have the ability to write down any questions or thoughts that have come up.
We’ll be feeding you delicious vegan-friendly meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you have any specific dietary requirements, sensitivities, or allergies please let us know ahead of time so that we can prepare.
Each room is equipped with it’s own washroom that will be shared between you and your roommate if you choose double occupancy.
This Retreat Is All Inclusive!
When: upcoming dates TBD. Please feel free to reach out to me if you are interested in this and we can figure out a time that works!
Where: The Naramata Center in Naramata, BC