Why You Should Go On A One Week Silent Meditation Retreat

I did it to escape the noise and get some clarity on my life. It was tough, but powerful. You should do it too.

If, exactly 3 years ago, you had told that one day I would be spending a week in silence in a temple on top of a mountain in Sri Lanka, I would’ve told you you’re crazy.

A week without speaking a word?

Of course I couldn’t do it!

Until, one day, I did.

About two years ago, I had a bike accident that left me blacked out on the street. I came out of it with a spinal compression fracture, a torn knee ligament and a fractured bone — and over a year to recover.

This happened at a time when I was really unhappy with the direction of my career and overall life. I felt unfulfilled and restless.

It seemed like everything was crumbling — and I just wanted some time away from the office, the desk, the city, to think, to wander, to figure things out.

So after a few months of recovery, I was on a flight to spend 3 weeks alone in Sri Lanka. And the first stop was at an isolated meditation temple located on a lush green mountain a few hours north of Kandy.

It was there that I spent six days in silence, in nature, cradled by trees and flower gardens.

I was isolated from society, away from the bustling digital world, away from contemporary connection. No phone. No signal. No social media. No news outlets.

It was a tough but beautiful spiritual journey of growth and discovery.

A Typical Day

Every morning, at precisely 4.45 am, the call of the gong signaled an invitation to enter the first meditation session of the day.

I would step out of my room and silently walk under the shelter of an umbrella, following the beam of my flashlight, to the sound of frogs croaking and rain dripping off Forrest petals.

At the meditation hall, the monk — a tall warm man of very little words but ample wisdom — would guide us. In his deep voice, he would remind us to set our intentions for the day, to be present, to be mindful, to draw our mind’s attention back to our breath whenever it wandered astray, to observe our thoughts rather than engage with them.

A little over an hour later, I would sit on a bench in the garden, engulfing a hot cup of tea between the palms of my hands, quietly gazing into the distance, watching the grey clouds hover aloft two mountain peaks coated in green treetops.

It sounds beautiful. It does.

The sound of chirping birds, the softness of the rainfall, the greenery.

But in truth, it was hard. The days — especially the first two — were long and grueling. I found myself struggling to cope with the emotions and thoughts rising through my mind. I had no idea what I was doing or how to deal with what I was experiencing — especially since I had never meditated before.

And although we sat in silence and I didn’t know anyone’s name, I saw the pain through the eyes of the other 17 estranged souls, seeking silence atop a mountain, coming from separate paths and going our separate ways.

The days began at 5.00 am and ended at 9.00 pm. They included:

• Individual meditation and guided group meditation sessions
• A slot for breakfast, another for lunch and one for an afternoon snack
• One slot for working meditation (cleaning — in silence, raking leaves — in silence, helping out at the kitchen — in silence)
• A two-hour break for rest, reading and reflection (which I used for stealing a one hour nap — don’t judge, I would already be exhausted by 1.00 pm)

Now, let me tell you why this experience was incredible, what came out of it, why I’ll definitely be doing it again and why you should do it too.

Here are four things you will learn/experience in silence:

In silence, you will tap into the incredible power within you.

Over the first three days, I went through an endless roller coaster of swinging emotions — a series of rides maneuvering up and down from ‘what the hell did I sign up for’ and ‘I can’t do this, there’s no way I can do this’ to ‘I can do this, just two more hours to go… just three more days to go.’

We live in a constant battle with our minds.

We experience conflicting thoughts of self-doubt and self-belief. Of fear and courage. Of negativity and positivity.

Silence allows you to realize that you can be in control. Of your mind, your thoughts, your emotions. You can win the battle. Because you have all the power within you to do so.

When you close your eyes and focus your attention on your breath, you will begin to observe your thoughts stroking the canvas of your mind. Your attention will wander, it will disappear back into the jungle of thoughts and emotions, but once you notice that you’ve lost its grip, you bring your awareness back onto your breath and again, you regain control of your attention.

It will be hard at first, to build this level of awareness. It will be prove to be a challenge to sit in silence and meditate for a short period of time. But it’s the most uncomfortable things we do in life — the ones that challenge us — that make us grow.

By training your mind to target its attention, rather than engage in chaos, you are developing discipline. And this newly formed skill of discipline will spring open to everything else you do.

This is the power you have within you — the ability to control your mind, attention, emotions, and reactions. The power to focus your attention, thoughts, and beliefs on what you consciously want.

In silence you find stillness; in stillness you find peace of mind and clarity of thought…

Once you tap into that power, once you begin to control your mind, thoughts and emotions, you begin to find stillness.

It was amazing the transition I felt after day number three.

I felt at peace.

I began to accept thoughts that drifted across my mind — I simply observed and reflected — because I had developed the mental muscle to push them away. And it is through this stillness, through this peace of mind, that I began to think more clearly about my life.

…And through that clarity, you will begin to appreciate the present.

You begin to pay attention to the little details and appreciate them. The warmth of a cup of tea on a chilly rainy day, the gift of your sight to witness the rising sun, the privilege of hearing, tasting, being.

You become grateful for what was once seemly irrelevant to you — your functioning body, your health, your family— because you never took the time to be truly present with those aspects of life before.

In silence, you will experience the great healing power of nature.

There is something magical about being in nature.

You will feel it deep within because it touches your spirit. After six silent days in the sounds of nature, you will feel calmer, healed and restored. It drains away all negative energy and fills you with tranquility and optimism.

In silence you can learn what matters most to you.

We take it for granted that we live in an age of time when connecting with family or friends who live on the other side of the planet is literally a few seconds away. And if you catch someone online, it’s instant.

But what happens when you’re in isolation without any connection to the digital world? You start to freak out. You plant crazy ideas in your mind — your mom is sick, your brother needs you, your dad had an accident. You start building scenarios in your head and your heart begins to rush…

Stop. Breathe.

Again. Inhale, exhale. It’s all in your head.

In silence I observed my thoughts. In silence I learned that the most important people in my life were my mom, dad, brother and sister. Because they were the first people I thought of and worried about. The first people I wanted to see and hug and make sure they’re OK.

On the final night, our monk left us with a powerful message. He said:

“You are all different now. The person who came here five days ago, is not the same person sitting here today. In five days, you can change more than in your entire lifetime. You will be a different person going back out.”

In five days, you can change more than in your entire lifetime.

Yes. Yes you can.

Thanks for reading! :)

P.S. If you’ve done a silent meditation retreat, I’d love to hear your thoughts on what you experienced. And if you’re considering going on one, happy to answer any questions you may have.