Accommodation

Check-in Time:

16:00

Check-out Time:

10:00

You will stay in a simple twin room with an en-suite bathroom.

Program

Spending time in silence, watering seeds of love and wisdom, is a precious gift for you and for all of your existence. The Kalyan Yoga silent meditation retreats are inspired by the Hridaya yoga format of retreats. Each meditation practice is shared free from dogma and on the basis of non-dual philosophy or ‘advaita vedanta’ in Sanskrit. Known as the pearl of Indian philosophy, advaita vedanta has influenced virtually all schools of Indian thought. At the core of this philosophy is the understanding that there is no separation between anyone or anything.

There is a shared consciousness that lies beyond the realms of the mind and personality and this can be experienced directly through the practice of meditation. Through consistent practice, (as well as other yogic practices), you can start to touch deeper and more subtle aspects of your being. Meditation is an experiential exploration of the fundamental questions of life - ‘Who am I?’, ‘What is this Existence?’. These days dedicated to silence, are a profound journey of self-reconnection. Each retreat is fully guided by teachers.

They present the yogic philosophy underlying each meditation and offer questions and answers (by way of written questions), so you can gain the best possible understanding. They guide and supervise all meditation practices, creating safe and supportive conditions for you to go deeper into your practice. Gentle Hatha yoga sessions are provided each day to balance and invigorate the energies of the body. Every aspect of this retreat is fully dedicated to creating the best conditions for the revelation of your true essence and the awakening of your heart.

The four-night retreat consists of three full days of silence and two shorter days (one to arrive and settle and one to integrate and depart). Whereas, the seven-night retreat consists of six full days of silence. This format of retreat provides a great introduction to the practice of meditation for beginners and can also serve to enrich and refresh the practice of experienced meditators. They follow strict guidelines in order to create a silent, sacred container together, supporting each other throughout the retreat.

Mauna (noble silence)

The entire retreat (including breaks and meals) will be conducted in silence, or ‘mauna’ as it is termed in Sanskrit. Mauna means not only to refrain from speaking but also from gesturing and any other kind of communication (urgent needs and pertinent questions can of course always be expressed in writing to the retreat leaders). The observance of mauna is fundamental to creating the proper conditions to allow you to go deeper in your practice of meditation.

Pausing social interaction allows the mental energies connected with communication to cease and be redirected to the practice of self-exploration. Training yourselves to not speak for a few days, (or even more), is a powerful way to purify the mind and develop a greater awareness of speech.

Tapas (self-discipline)

The term tapas originates from the Sanskrit root tap, which means ‘to give off heat’ and is often used to mean self-control or self-discipline. Tapas is a yogic practice of making a commitment to perform a practice or observance for a specified amount of time. The commitment to keep silence is a very powerful form of tapas and can be deeply transformative. It is important to mention how challenging a silent meditation retreat can be. You may face some discomfort, physically, energetically, emotionally, or mentally.

Through the practice of self-discipline, inner friction is created or resistance. Friction creates heat and heat creates an inner fire. It is this inner fire that purifies and transforms your body, speech, and mind. This process can feel blissful but it can also feel uncomfortable. When there is so much friction and so much heat, the conditions are ripe for surrender. As you become more familiar with the art of letting go, through an act of surrender you are able to transcend the lower impulses of your being associated with separation from the whole and experience the peace of the heart.

Sacred teachings

Throughout the retreat, they will share sacred poetry and spiritual literature of saints, sages, and mystics across the ages. You turn to these masters for the words that explore the greatest questions of this life and ignite the fires of your soul.

Well-being and silent retreat

Meditation retreats can be very nourishing; however, as they require sustained meditation practice, they also need some stability of psychological health. If you have recently (within the past year or so) experienced significant trauma or psychiatric illness, or if you are currently experiencing acute emotional distress such as serious depression or anxiety, it may not be the best time for you to participate in a retreat.

The teachers might not be able to give you the kind of individual psychological care you need at this time. A setting with more opportunities for interpersonal engagement may be more appropriate. If you are currently under the care of a mental health professional, please discuss your attendance with them. You should be in a relatively stable period of mental well-being and have adequate psychological resilience.

What you will learn

Techniques for calming your mind, relaxing your body, and opening your heart
Ramana Maharshi’s self-inquiry method (asking “Who am I?”)
Practices for centering in the spiritual heart and ways to infuse your daily life with its wisdom
The fundamental principles of non-duality (the teaching that everything is one)
Traditional, contemplative Hatha yoga

Guidelines

Even if you have previously attended a silent meditation retreat, please read these guidelines carefully. In order to create the right conditions that facilitate access to deep inner states, mental peace, and aspiration, it is necessary that certain rules be followed for the duration of the retreat. The retreat atmosphere has been evaluated carefully as to how it can best support the attendees’ spiritual efforts.

The guidelines are part of this support. Kalyan Yoga would like to emphasize that the retreat guidelines must be followed for the benefit of all participants. Before joining the retreat, carefully consider whether you truly accept the parameters of the retreat and its rules.

1. Voluntary restraint

A meditation retreat is an extraordinary situation (although meditation is actually perfectly normal). A group of people must live together in very simple conditions while relating to each other in a completely new way. Here, you relate through the common experience of meditation, with all its pains and joys, discoveries, and frustrations.

During the retreat, your lifestyle is built around a common purpose rather than the more self-centered purposes promoted by the world today. To accomplish this in harmony, you must agree on certain conventions. The most important are mindful silence, giving way to others, sticking to the schedule, and following instructions.

2. Mauna (noble silence)

Mauna is compulsory. The period of mauna will begin on Friday morning, with the consecration of the retreat, and will end after the last meditation on the last day of the retreat. Absolutely no talking by participants will be allowed. Much energy and ego go into your speech. This not only makes the world noisy, but it also makes your own mind noisy. If there is nobody to talk to you just chatter away to yourself, in your own head, without even realizing it.

In meditation, this can be an annoying hindrance. So you keep silent by not speaking or passing notes to each other during the retreat, in order to quiet your mind and maintain a quiet, peaceful environment for everyone. This can be difficult at times, but most people find it a powerful and wonderful experience. Even training yourselves to walk, move, and do things quietly leads to a calm and graceful experience.

3. Electronics

Retreat participants are asked not to use any electronic equipment including cameras, phones, kindles, mp3 players, laptops, etc. for the duration of the retreat. Thus, there is to be no listening to the news or music, checking email, watching movies, etc.

No use of mobile phones is allowed during the retreat. It is recommended they are turned off for the duration of the retreat. Participants should make a firm commitment not to use the phone for conversations, text messages, or surfing the internet for the duration of the retreat.

4. Reading and writing

Kalyan Yoga also requests that you stop writing, except for notes taken during talks and impressions of meditative experiences that you may record in your retreat journal after meditation sessions. Letter writing and creative writing will take the mind away from your purpose here.

5. Journaling

It is recommended that participants record their meditative and daily experiences in a notebook. A retreat journal can help you not only to push through any challenging moments but can serve to inspire you and provide a point of reference for your growth during the retreat period. A meditation notebook helps you to objectify your experiences and what you understand during meditation. It can bring inspiration to you even after the retreat. Reading it after the retreat is over can be a powerful support in daily life.

6. Fasting

Unless you are an experienced faster, in order to maintain a high level of vitality and energy for meditation fasting is not recommended for the entire duration of the retreat (although your own tapas of a weekly fasting day is okay).

7. An attitude of solitude

It is recommended that you aim to cultivate a state of experience resembling solitude by agreeing not to: look at others, touch, hug, kiss, say hello (even nonverbally), smile at each other, etc. At times, this can feel alienating and lonely for people who are very sociable and miss such simple human contact, but it will drastically help your experience of interiorization. In addition, the opening of the soul will offer you the opportunity to communicate in a much subtler way, through the language of love. Your friends will still love you at the end of the retreat, maybe even more.

8. Detox

No alcohol or smoking is allowed during this retreat. There is no coffee or caffeinated drinks served either. This is a period of complete detox, both for the body and mind.

9. Schedule

Please agree to join all sessions and activities of the retreat. The schedule you follow is very moderate compared to some meditation retreats that start the day before dawn. It is important never to leave a meditation session other than for extreme circumstances.

10. Lateness

Everyone must be on time for all sessions as lateness is very disruptive and latecomers will not be allowed to join until the next session. Please plan accordingly. If you find yourself late for a meditation session, please be considerate and wait without any undue noise, meditating outside the hall during the session and entering only during the next break.

Itinerary

This four-night retreat consists of three full days of silence and two shorter days (one to arrive and settle and one to integrate and depart).

Day 1

Please arrive between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on day one of the retreat. There will be a welcome and orientation meeting starting at 5:15 p.m. until dinner.

Days 2 and 3

You enter into mauna (noble silence) and will follow the full retreat schedule outlined below.

Day 4

You will follow the retreat schedule until dinner. After dinner, there will be a short meditation and then you will conclude this period of silence. Participants will then be invited to share their retreat experience with the group.

Day 5

On the final morning, there will be meditation between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., an early breakfast after meditation and then you will aim for a 10:00 a.m. check out.

Sample daily schedule

07:00 - 08:00 Meditation (beginning in shorter segments)
08:00 - 10:00 Hatha yoga
10:00 - 10:30 Meditation
10:30 - 11:30 Breakfast break
11:30 - 12:45 Lecture
12:45 - 13:30 Meditation
13:30 - 16:30 Lunch break
16:30 - 18:00 Meditation (beginning in shorter segments)
18:00 - 18:30 Time for personal practice
18:30 - 19:30 Dinner break
19:30 - 20:00 Q&A
20:00 - 20:30 Daily themed spiritual discourse
20:30 - 21:00 Meditation

Instructors

Sabina Macintyre

1 Certificate

Show

Sabina started her spiritual journey with slow and tentative steps at the age of 21. Her journey on the spiritual path accelerated in a radical way after completing a silent meditation retreat at Hridaya Yoga in Mexico. The retreat experience was deeply transformative and inspiring, so much so, she halted her legal career and dedicated herself full-time to the practice of hatha yoga, meditation, and Karma yoga at Hridaya Yoga for the following two years. Yoga is now the core of Sabina’s life, with life shaped around the practice of meditation and Hatha yoga.

Adam Thomas

1 Certificate

Show

Adam strongly believes that through non-attachment and awareness of your essential nature, you can choose to live and love with an Open Heart. On reading the words, for the first time, of St Francis of Assisi, ‘What we are looking for is what is looking,’ the whole world seemed to disappear for a moment. For the first time, Adam looked at himself and continues to do so as much as possible. Knowing that lasting happiness, peace, or liberation is not even something that can be found, rather it is revealed when the mind is quiet and spacious.

Location

The retreat will take place in Devon, England, UK. Brimpts Farm lies literally at the heart of Dartmoor. It is surrounded by both farmland and wilderness, with ancient monuments and world-class archaeology on the doorstep.

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Food

All meals are included in the price and prepared by The Wild Fig, Totnes. They will lovingly prepare simple, wholesome meals every day. All dishes will be vegan.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Drinks

The following drinks are included:

Water
Tea

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Vegan

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

What's included

Regular meditation sessions throughout the day beginning in shorter segments
Hatha yoga sessions
Inspiring lectures on a variety of topics
Introduction to meditation techniques
Time for personal practice
Questions and answers sessions (with written questions)
Practical advice for going deeper into meditation
Group sharing on the final evening
4 nights accommodation
Vegan meals prepared by The Wild Fig
Use of hot tub on the last night

What's not included

Airfare
Additional activities
Additional meals
Travel expenses
Airport transfers
Personal expenses

How to get there

Recommended Airports

EXT

Exeter International Airport

38 km

Transfer not provided

Driving directions from Exeter (40 minutes)

Take the A38 towards Plymouth.
Take the second Ashburton and turn off onto the B3357 to Two Bridges or Princetown.
Follow the road for 7 miles.
Past Dartmeet, up the hill, they are the first drive on the right.

Driving directions from Plymouth (40 minutes)

Take the A386 towards Tavistock.
Take B3212 at Yelverton to Two Bridges (via Princetown).
At Two Bridges, turn right onto the B3357 towards Dartmeet.
Follow the road for 5 miles.
Turn left immediately after the Hexworthy turning.

Cancellation Policy

A reservation requires a deposit of 100% of the total price.
The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.

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