Sponsors
Sponsors
Has anyone done it and can you recommend a place? (Moderated by Deepika, EleanorSews)
Posted on: 1/19/08 4:19 PM ET
Lately I have been very curious about and going on a silent retreat, one where you do no speaking at all. Mostly I think I want to go for personal growth but I guess I want a few days for myself with no one talking or calling me. Weird?? Yeah I know I am weird. I have been doing searches on the internet but I have not seen anything that looks appealing.
Has anyone done one? What did you think? Would you go again? Can you recommend a place? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Patti
------
Has anyone done one? What did you think? Would you go again? Can you recommend a place? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Patti
------
Patti K.
Member since 12/9/04
Posts: 2015
Posts: 2015
Quebec Canada
Skill: Advanced Beginner
Skill: Advanced Beginner
Posted on: 1/19/08 7:40 PM ET
In reply to PattiK
Hi PattiK!
Yes, I've been on several silent retreats. They are held in a Cistercian monastery outside Montreal. I would contact the Catholic church in your area for ideas of a place. Also any meditation groups.
I, myself, am really not comfortable in this environment. I want to speak with everyone I see--it's my personality/nature. I don't know if I'll go again. 'Twas funny... This last time our Palliative group from the Hospital went for a "Communications" seminar at the retreat. Tee! Hee! (We could speak in a designated classroom area.)
IF you want dead quiet, even at meals & in your room, maybe this is the "break" for you. You should be able to speak or sing, etc. outdoors. I would suggest a one or two overnight stay the first time. Don't sign up for a week...
One thing, the price is right. Very reasonable rates for bed and meals.
Rhonda in Montreal
Yes, I've been on several silent retreats. They are held in a Cistercian monastery outside Montreal. I would contact the Catholic church in your area for ideas of a place. Also any meditation groups.
I, myself, am really not comfortable in this environment. I want to speak with everyone I see--it's my personality/nature. I don't know if I'll go again. 'Twas funny... This last time our Palliative group from the Hospital went for a "Communications" seminar at the retreat. Tee! Hee! (We could speak in a designated classroom area.)
IF you want dead quiet, even at meals & in your room, maybe this is the "break" for you. You should be able to speak or sing, etc. outdoors. I would suggest a one or two overnight stay the first time. Don't sign up for a week...
One thing, the price is right. Very reasonable rates for bed and meals.
Rhonda in Montreal
Posted on: 1/19/08 8:50 PM ET
Hi Patti
I've never done one but know of several people who have. Around here (Massachusetts) seems like most people go to Kripalu
http://www.kripalu.org/program/program/SPSIR/
This one is silence and yoga. My friends rave about this place.
Catherine
I've never done one but know of several people who have. Around here (Massachusetts) seems like most people go to Kripalu
http://www.kripalu.org/program/program/SPSIR/
This one is silence and yoga. My friends rave about this place.
Catherine
Posted on: 1/19/08 11:19 PM ET
I have never gone on a silent retreat, but do try to go to my family's cabin by myself (with the dog - for safety and companionship) once or twice each season (mid May thru Oct). Silence is not the intent - but by going alone I can concentrate on my crafts, working on needlework and photography without interruption.
Up where I am in MN, there are several retreat centers - Dunrovin Retreat Center is one that is highly regarded. Lovely location right on the St Croix River in East Central Minnesota.
An alternative in Florida might be to go camping at one of the wonderful state camp grounds, maybe one of the ones on a beach I can't think of a better place for meditation and reflection.
Up where I am in MN, there are several retreat centers - Dunrovin Retreat Center is one that is highly regarded. Lovely location right on the St Croix River in East Central Minnesota.
An alternative in Florida might be to go camping at one of the wonderful state camp grounds, maybe one of the ones on a beach I can't think of a better place for meditation and reflection.
Posted on: 1/19/08 11:52 PM ET
In reply to PattiK
Yes, last March I spent a week at the Abbey at Gethsemane in Kentucky. Here's the link: The Abbey.
The grounds were gorgeous and peaceful. Spending 5 days in silence absolutely recharged my spirit. This Abbey is so old it was like walking among all the old spirits. There were no radios or tv's and you could play CD only with headphones. Cellphones could only be used in the parking lot.
For the first 24 hrs I felt sort of sense of bizarre withdraw from tv, radio, telephone, computers, constant news reports etc. But after the first day my whole body and mind slowed down. I learned more about myself during that 5 days than I had in the last 5 years. I read Thomas Merton and Mother Theresa; I journaled: I did yoga; I walked in the garden.
You eat the same food that the monks eat and they make their own cheese. The diet is vegetarian (cheese at every meal)! But every meal was filling and delicious and I didn't have to cook it, which made it extra special
.
So I guess you can say I highly recommend a silent retreat if that's your kind of thing. It certainly is mine.
The grounds were gorgeous and peaceful. Spending 5 days in silence absolutely recharged my spirit. This Abbey is so old it was like walking among all the old spirits. There were no radios or tv's and you could play CD only with headphones. Cellphones could only be used in the parking lot.
For the first 24 hrs I felt sort of sense of bizarre withdraw from tv, radio, telephone, computers, constant news reports etc. But after the first day my whole body and mind slowed down. I learned more about myself during that 5 days than I had in the last 5 years. I read Thomas Merton and Mother Theresa; I journaled: I did yoga; I walked in the garden.
You eat the same food that the monks eat and they make their own cheese. The diet is vegetarian (cheese at every meal)! But every meal was filling and delicious and I didn't have to cook it, which made it extra special
.So I guess you can say I highly recommend a silent retreat if that's your kind of thing. It certainly is mine.
Posted on: 1/20/08 0:19 AM ET
Never been to a retreat, but I can recommend getting away from people for a while. I like to go camping by myself, in the NorthWoods, at my favorite single campsite, for a week. I'm usually talking to myself before the end of the first day, but at least there isn't anyone else around to interact with!
------
------
A sewing machine is just a welder for textiles.
Posted on: 1/20/08 0:59 AM ET
By the time I quit teaching, I was so burned out-- exhausted, stressed, and dealing with chronic pain. For a couple of months, I lived in near silence during the day until my husband came home. We live in a secluded wooded area, so the only noises I heard were nature, I didn't even want to hear music. The silence was as restorative to me as rest.
Slowly I let intrusive sounds back in, and since DD moved home again, noise abounds, but it doesn't bother me. But every now and then, I have to "unplug" for the day.
------
Slowly I let intrusive sounds back in, and since DD moved home again, noise abounds, but it doesn't bother me. But every now and then, I have to "unplug" for the day.
------
Elizabeth
Posted on: 1/20/08 1:16 AM ET
In reply to Cathy Loves Fabric
Cathy...
The retreat sounds wonderful, though I don't know when I would ever get around to going. But I followed your link and - "eureka" - realized that these are the monks who make that bourbon fudge and fruitcake. Oh, yes, and the cheeses! I've been racking my brain for several years now trying to remember the name of the place. So funny that I found my way back in such an unusual way. It's really a small world, isn't it?!
Thank You!
------
The retreat sounds wonderful, though I don't know when I would ever get around to going. But I followed your link and - "eureka" - realized that these are the monks who make that bourbon fudge and fruitcake. Oh, yes, and the cheeses! I've been racking my brain for several years now trying to remember the name of the place. So funny that I found my way back in such an unusual way. It's really a small world, isn't it?!
Thank You!

------
“Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known.”
~Garrison Keillor~
~Garrison Keillor~
Posted on: 1/20/08 2:41 AM ET
In reply to Reggies Mom
That is so neat! Yes, they make and sell all the food and cheese. Boy that's good cheese, although I was pretty tired of it after 15 cheese meals. They served the fruitcake too. I have great respect for the monk's lifestyle.
Posted on: 1/20/08 12:39 PM ET
In reply to Cathy Loves Fabric
I hear ya. I love cheese but don't know if I could eat it at every meal for 5 straight days.
Thanks again for sharing the link! (maybe a little divine intervention was at work there
)
------
Thanks again for sharing the link! (maybe a little divine intervention was at work there
)------
“Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known.”
~Garrison Keillor~
~Garrison Keillor~
* Advertising and soliciting is strictly prohibited on PatternReview.com. If you find a post which is not in agreement with our Terms and Conditions, please click on the Report Post button to report it.
Selected Reviews, Classes & Patterns








