Love this! I did a silent retreat a few years ago after my mom’s passing. I absolutely LOVED the retreat (my introvert batteries got a mega charge!). Your post reminded me of the lovely time I spent there. Thank you for sharing your experience!
I love the way you worded that—my introvert batteries got a mega charge too! Rode that high for weeks :) I'm so glad this could be a nice reminder of that time!
Your writing inspired me to begin meditation practice again. I have noticed in the past how the calmness of meditation seeps into everything throughout the day. "Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in." A quote from Thich Nhat Hanh. He was a gift to the world.
Joel, that's so wonderful! Thich Nhat Hanh's words are so nourishing and calming. Really touched to reconnect you to your meditation practice. Feels circular because I have fallen out of my practice the past two weeks, but given your note I'm gonna try again 💛
Ah this brings back memories of my 10 days Vipassana in a temple in Thailand. I really enjoyed the strict routine and also the fact that there was nothing for one to think about or do except meditate. Food is served and everything else is not allowed. Such bliss.
I also enjoyed the walking meditation very much, I find alternating it with the sitting one creates a perfect loop to keep going forever...
Now how can I incorporate that back into my daily life? Are you still doing some version now at home? And if yes, any tips? :)
Ooh yes I've read there are a bunch of vipassana retreats in Thailand! Letting go of all decision making was fantastic, especially what to eat every meal. Instead we just eat and be grateful for what's given :)
I have been trying to meditate regularly since, to varying degrees of success! Right when I got back I did lots of walking meditation without my phone, but now it's a bit too hot so I practice right when I wake up for about 10 minutes. I have one of those focus/pomodoro timers so I don't have to touch my phone at all before meditating. How is your practice lately?
I am struggling with my practice! That's why I ask :) I like the idea of walking meditation, I shall try that and leave my tempting phone at home, thanks. I had the same plan for doing 10 minutes meditation when I wake, it is a hit and miss, depending on the excuse :P - tiredness, kids awake first, snooze....
A few years ago, I did a 10 day silent retreat. No phones; I locked my phone away. I’m an introvert too, so I survived, but not so sure I would have survived had I met a bear! I have such a bear-encounter phobia. I can’t believe you actually came across one and you didn’t even have a phone with you!
I was riding the shock of the moment, thankfully lived to tell the tale! Seems like bear sightings are more and more common in Massachusetts nowadays. Very cool you've done a 10 day retreat!
I too did a week-long silent meditation retreat at IMS, back in 2014 (!) and it's an experience I fondly remember and long to repeat. What I remember most are the moments before we broke our golden silence and the anxiety that filled me knowing I'd have to begin speaking again. It was so wonderfully immersive to experience life without the pressure (or desire) to share verbally, and I loved finding alternate forms of communicating, sharing with, and acknowledge others.
Hi Meera! It's the ten year anniversary of your meditation retreat 💛 so fantastic they've been around as long as they have and continue to keep prices really fair and accessible. The final lunch we had after the silence broke was an adjustment for sure; thankfully we could all palpably sense each other's nervous energies and it was so wonderful to be in community with lots of fellow introverts. And as you said, explore different ways of being together without filling the air with talk talk talk all the time.
There were a bunch of folks who were barely practicing prior to the retreat! The body would be in for a rude awakening though 🥲 so yes, preparation is good!
That sounds wonderful! I've been enjoying meditating and learning to go deeper. I'd love to do a retreat like that although it sounds like it would be really hard to be in all that nature and not draw 😬
I honestly don’t know if my adhd brain could take it. But I am trying to slowly eliminate things. Cutting down my phone hours and, like you, the urge to multitask.
What a mind opener of an experience ! Didn’t realise you couldn’t read or write- wah , that’s deffo going to be a challenge for me when I take on one here in the U.K. Deffo in bucket list
Ooh, I hope you are able to make it happen! I am always reading something but I really didn't miss it at all :) Though it helped that the nature outside was so beautiful, so I'd perhaps suggest booking your retreat for a month with milder weather!
I’ve been practicing Zen meditation since 2001. After 9 years, I was lay ordained in Suzuki Roshi’s lineage. He is often credited for bringing Zen to the US. When I lived at San Francisco Zen Center, we had monthly one-day sits that were silent. As an introvert, I loved it! And every practice period (which happens quarterly) ends with a sesshin: 3-5 day silent retreats.
Once I moved out of the temple, I sat at home, usually in the evenings. The thing about meditation though is that it’s not isolated to the median cushion, or a retreat, or a temple. You can meditate wherever and whenever. Mostly, it’s an embodied practice that is expressed in how I live.
Ooh, I'm familiar with Suzuki's book Zen Mind Beginner's Mind! Sounds like such a great experience. I've gone to the Brooklyn Zen Center several times which follows the same soto zen practice—definitely different from vipassana, but foundationally similar goals. And yes, the accessibility of meditation practice wherever we go makes it the most powerful.
Amazing! I'm so glad you did one. I've been doing retreats (up to 10 days) for the past 7 years, and they have really changed my life. I now make them mandatory in my life every year, attending at least once per year. The way I go on holiday is the way I prioritize the retreats. Sure, here's the revised text:
I have a 7-day retreat in August. I'm so excited! I love the Insight Meditation Society. The centres I usually go to are also part of the Insight Meditation Society. I completed the two year Mindfulness Teacher Training with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. Jack Kornfield founded the Insight Meditation Society.
Wow, that really must be transformational and you must have many stories and varied experiences from each one! Did you take the teacher training with the intention to teach or more to deepen your own meditation practice?
Exactly, Carolyn. My intention was never to become a traditional meditation teacher but rather to deepen my practice and find alternative ways of teaching. Writing a Substack newsletter also involves an element of teaching, so I incorporate what I have learned into my writing and art.
Love this! I did a silent retreat a few years ago after my mom’s passing. I absolutely LOVED the retreat (my introvert batteries got a mega charge!). Your post reminded me of the lovely time I spent there. Thank you for sharing your experience!
I love the way you worded that—my introvert batteries got a mega charge too! Rode that high for weeks :) I'm so glad this could be a nice reminder of that time!
Carolyn,
Your writing inspired me to begin meditation practice again. I have noticed in the past how the calmness of meditation seeps into everything throughout the day. "Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in." A quote from Thich Nhat Hanh. He was a gift to the world.
Joel
Joel, that's so wonderful! Thich Nhat Hanh's words are so nourishing and calming. Really touched to reconnect you to your meditation practice. Feels circular because I have fallen out of my practice the past two weeks, but given your note I'm gonna try again 💛
Ah this brings back memories of my 10 days Vipassana in a temple in Thailand. I really enjoyed the strict routine and also the fact that there was nothing for one to think about or do except meditate. Food is served and everything else is not allowed. Such bliss.
I also enjoyed the walking meditation very much, I find alternating it with the sitting one creates a perfect loop to keep going forever...
Now how can I incorporate that back into my daily life? Are you still doing some version now at home? And if yes, any tips? :)
Ooh yes I've read there are a bunch of vipassana retreats in Thailand! Letting go of all decision making was fantastic, especially what to eat every meal. Instead we just eat and be grateful for what's given :)
I have been trying to meditate regularly since, to varying degrees of success! Right when I got back I did lots of walking meditation without my phone, but now it's a bit too hot so I practice right when I wake up for about 10 minutes. I have one of those focus/pomodoro timers so I don't have to touch my phone at all before meditating. How is your practice lately?
I am struggling with my practice! That's why I ask :) I like the idea of walking meditation, I shall try that and leave my tempting phone at home, thanks. I had the same plan for doing 10 minutes meditation when I wake, it is a hit and miss, depending on the excuse :P - tiredness, kids awake first, snooze....
For sure! In that case, I’d suggest bringing a watch :) that way you can leave your phone behind and wander without feeling anxious about time!
A few years ago, I did a 10 day silent retreat. No phones; I locked my phone away. I’m an introvert too, so I survived, but not so sure I would have survived had I met a bear! I have such a bear-encounter phobia. I can’t believe you actually came across one and you didn’t even have a phone with you!
I was riding the shock of the moment, thankfully lived to tell the tale! Seems like bear sightings are more and more common in Massachusetts nowadays. Very cool you've done a 10 day retreat!
Carolyn,
I too did a week-long silent meditation retreat at IMS, back in 2014 (!) and it's an experience I fondly remember and long to repeat. What I remember most are the moments before we broke our golden silence and the anxiety that filled me knowing I'd have to begin speaking again. It was so wonderfully immersive to experience life without the pressure (or desire) to share verbally, and I loved finding alternate forms of communicating, sharing with, and acknowledge others.
Hi Meera! It's the ten year anniversary of your meditation retreat 💛 so fantastic they've been around as long as they have and continue to keep prices really fair and accessible. The final lunch we had after the silence broke was an adjustment for sure; thankfully we could all palpably sense each other's nervous energies and it was so wonderful to be in community with lots of fellow introverts. And as you said, explore different ways of being together without filling the air with talk talk talk all the time.
I too would like to do a silent retreat one day. However, I should probably get back into a meditation practice in the first place 😁
Thank you for sharing your experience!
There were a bunch of folks who were barely practicing prior to the retreat! The body would be in for a rude awakening though 🥲 so yes, preparation is good!
“Why, HELLO, brain!” 😂😭
Really enjoyed reading your reflection of the retreat. A silent meditation retreat has been on my bucket list for a few years so thanks for the nudge.
Thanks Zoe! I hope you get to go sometime, it's truly a gift.
That sounds wonderful! I've been enjoying meditating and learning to go deeper. I'd love to do a retreat like that although it sounds like it would be really hard to be in all that nature and not draw 😬
I honestly don’t know if my adhd brain could take it. But I am trying to slowly eliminate things. Cutting down my phone hours and, like you, the urge to multitask.
It could be a radical shift! But one definitely has to be willing to do it 🥲
What a mind opener of an experience ! Didn’t realise you couldn’t read or write- wah , that’s deffo going to be a challenge for me when I take on one here in the U.K. Deffo in bucket list
Ooh, I hope you are able to make it happen! I am always reading something but I really didn't miss it at all :) Though it helped that the nature outside was so beautiful, so I'd perhaps suggest booking your retreat for a month with milder weather!
I’ve been practicing Zen meditation since 2001. After 9 years, I was lay ordained in Suzuki Roshi’s lineage. He is often credited for bringing Zen to the US. When I lived at San Francisco Zen Center, we had monthly one-day sits that were silent. As an introvert, I loved it! And every practice period (which happens quarterly) ends with a sesshin: 3-5 day silent retreats.
Once I moved out of the temple, I sat at home, usually in the evenings. The thing about meditation though is that it’s not isolated to the median cushion, or a retreat, or a temple. You can meditate wherever and whenever. Mostly, it’s an embodied practice that is expressed in how I live.
Ooh, I'm familiar with Suzuki's book Zen Mind Beginner's Mind! Sounds like such a great experience. I've gone to the Brooklyn Zen Center several times which follows the same soto zen practice—definitely different from vipassana, but foundationally similar goals. And yes, the accessibility of meditation practice wherever we go makes it the most powerful.
Loved hearing about your experience. I love Spirit-Rock :-)
Amazing! I'm so glad you did one. I've been doing retreats (up to 10 days) for the past 7 years, and they have really changed my life. I now make them mandatory in my life every year, attending at least once per year. The way I go on holiday is the way I prioritize the retreats. Sure, here's the revised text:
I have a 7-day retreat in August. I'm so excited! I love the Insight Meditation Society. The centres I usually go to are also part of the Insight Meditation Society. I completed the two year Mindfulness Teacher Training with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. Jack Kornfield founded the Insight Meditation Society.
Wow, that really must be transformational and you must have many stories and varied experiences from each one! Did you take the teacher training with the intention to teach or more to deepen your own meditation practice?
Exactly, Carolyn. My intention was never to become a traditional meditation teacher but rather to deepen my practice and find alternative ways of teaching. Writing a Substack newsletter also involves an element of teaching, so I incorporate what I have learned into my writing and art.
Thank you for taking us on this experience with you! And what a brave week to handle the bear encounter! 😳🫣
Thank you for reading along, Jess! It was so wild—and I was dying to tell somebody about it 😂