While visiting a variety of spiritual retreats Cat Pritchard puts her body to the test and discovers that mental flexibility is also required.
The silent retreat
Vipassaná meditation, as taught by SN Goenka
It is a strange thing spending 10 days in absolute silence; stranger still sharing it with a group of people you can’t look in the eye, greet or acknowledge in any way.
This is just one of thousands of thoughts and questions that will plague your fertile mind again and again during the 11 hours of seated meditation you will endure on a daily basis, starting with your 4am wake-up call.
I say “endure” because the 10 days you will spend at the centre will be both physically and mentally gruelling. It’s like a reconstruction and development programme for the soul, only with stronger foundations. And yes, the silence part is all-encompassing. No technology, no talking, no reading, no writing.
Here, the outside world is irrelevant; your inner world is your only concern. It’s tough but worth it.
What to expect: As a beginner, you will start with a 10-day introductory course to vipassaná meditation (as taught by SN Goenka) where the technique is taught step by step each day. Following an initial orientation period, you will enter into a vow of silence and 10 full days of meditation (in stretches of one, 1.5 and two hours), which will come to an end on the morning of the 11th day by 7.30am.
Where: Worldwide, including Dhamma Pataka near Worcester in the Western Cape.
Cost: Donation based. All food, training and accommodation is included and might include shared rooms, depending on which centre you attend.
Information: Visit website
For full article on yoga retreats world wide covered by Cat Pritchard – click Mail & Guardian
