One of the more powerful life experiences is to go on a silent meditation retreat. It allows you to become more aware of the sounds around—and voices within—you. Without the usual chatter, a retreat also helps you focus on your immediate experience. Typically, we seek more natural, isolated settings for this practice. Indeed, wonderful places exist all over the world where you can be with silence.
You can also create a day of silence for yourself without leaving the city. Though perhaps not as romantic as meditating by a pristine lake or desert cliff, it can be just as profound, especially since you literally bring the practice into your own home. Why not spend a whole day creating a silent retreat for yourself?
To the extent possible, create rules and a daily schedule that mirror the experience of being away from it all. Here are some of the more important considerations:
Vow not to speak to others during the day, except in an emergency. You will maintain silence, just as if you were away on a meditation retreat.
Inform others of your intention. Discourage people from speaking to you during this time. If you normally call your mother three times a day, tell her you won’t be available during your retreat. Or perhaps invite someone to participate in the retreat with you. Especially powerful for couples living together, this option supports your mutual dedication to mindfulness and forms a special connection, allowing you to be fully present and attentive to each other—albeit wordlessly—in the same space.
Unplug or turn off all noisy electronic distractions in your home. Don’t answer the phone, watch TV, get on the computer, surf the Internet, play video games, or listen to music during this time. Obviously, the city sounds (including neighbors, roommates, pets, children, and so on) will continue, but you’ll reduce the amount of noise by omitting the usual distractions.
Schedule what you plan to do throughout the day. Typically, silent retreats have periods set aside for sitting and walking meditations. Determine the time and duration of your meditations. Depending on your familiarity with all-day retreats, perhaps plan several hour-long meditations where you alternate twenty minutes sitting with ten minutes walking.
Select some books, chapters, verses, or poems to read. Retreats typically include periodic meetings or talks with spiritual leaders. Though you won’t have the advantage of such a guide’s live presence, you can find written material that provides opportunities for reflection.
When not meditating or reading, mindfully experience whatever you do. If you’re sitting on the couch, allow yourself to feel what it’s like to sit. If you’re walking to another room, feel how your feet make contact with the floor. You might also try some of the other mindfulness practices outlined in this part of the book, like attentively petting your dog or cat.
Mindfully prepare and eat your meals. Ideally, try making each meal from scratch as you slowly attend to preparing each ingredient (and cooking). Try washing and drying each lettuce leaf, for example. During mealtime, focus on the food’s taste in your mouth. Your tongue has different taste receptors for detecting bitter, salty, sweet, and sour flavors. These receptors are distributed on different areas of your tongue so that the same mouthful of food has a different flavor depending on its physical location. During meals, move the food around in your mouth and try to distinguish these different flavors.
Start and end your day of silence whenever you wish. Maybe decide to practice from sunrise to sundown, or ten to two. Regardless of your selected times, maintain the boundaries; resist the urge to end prematurely. Beginning and ending your silent practice with a settling ritual, like ringing a bell or offering a compassion or gratitude prayer, also helps.
You can also create a day of silence for yourself without leaving the city. Though perhaps not as romantic as meditating by a pristine lake or desert cliff, it can be just as profound, especially since you literally bring the practice into your own home. Why not spend a whole day creating a silent retreat for yourself?
To the extent possible, create rules and a daily schedule that mirror the experience of being away from it all. Here are some of the more important considerations:
Vow not to speak to others during the day, except in an emergency. You will maintain silence, just as if you were away on a meditation retreat.
Inform others of your intention. Discourage people from speaking to you during this time. If you normally call your mother three times a day, tell her you won’t be available during your retreat. Or perhaps invite someone to participate in the retreat with you. Especially powerful for couples living together, this option supports your mutual dedication to mindfulness and forms a special connection, allowing you to be fully present and attentive to each other—albeit wordlessly—in the same space.
Unplug or turn off all noisy electronic distractions in your home. Don’t answer the phone, watch TV, get on the computer, surf the Internet, play video games, or listen to music during this time. Obviously, the city sounds (including neighbors, roommates, pets, children, and so on) will continue, but you’ll reduce the amount of noise by omitting the usual distractions.
Schedule what you plan to do throughout the day. Typically, silent retreats have periods set aside for sitting and walking meditations. Determine the time and duration of your meditations. Depending on your familiarity with all-day retreats, perhaps plan several hour-long meditations where you alternate twenty minutes sitting with ten minutes walking.
Select some books, chapters, verses, or poems to read. Retreats typically include periodic meetings or talks with spiritual leaders. Though you won’t have the advantage of such a guide’s live presence, you can find written material that provides opportunities for reflection.
When not meditating or reading, mindfully experience whatever you do. If you’re sitting on the couch, allow yourself to feel what it’s like to sit. If you’re walking to another room, feel how your feet make contact with the floor. You might also try some of the other mindfulness practices outlined in this part of the book, like attentively petting your dog or cat.
Mindfully prepare and eat your meals. Ideally, try making each meal from scratch as you slowly attend to preparing each ingredient (and cooking). Try washing and drying each lettuce leaf, for example. During mealtime, focus on the food’s taste in your mouth. Your tongue has different taste receptors for detecting bitter, salty, sweet, and sour flavors. These receptors are distributed on different areas of your tongue so that the same mouthful of food has a different flavor depending on its physical location. During meals, move the food around in your mouth and try to distinguish these different flavors.
Start and end your day of silence whenever you wish. Maybe decide to practice from sunrise to sundown, or ten to two. Regardless of your selected times, maintain the boundaries; resist the urge to end prematurely. Beginning and ending your silent practice with a settling ritual, like ringing a bell or offering a compassion or gratitude prayer, also helps.
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