Silence Retreats: What to know about them & where you can go

Some days, you just want to get away from the stresses that life throws at you. The voices of your coworkers, the commitments and deadlines looming, the insistent buzzing of your phone, alerting you to yet another notification you don’t really care much about — and you just want to get away from it all. Or, perhaps you already have a tranquil mindset and you are seeking a place where you can further deepen your yoga and meditation practices. No matter which of the two you are (or if you’re neither), silent retreats have been rising in popularity, and perhaps you should consider jumping on the bandwagon.

Silent retreats are essentially getaways, where you are not allowed to speak to anyone during the whole duration. It is much like a digital detox, where you willingly ban yourself from technology. Though many choose to do a silence retreat over the weekend, there are some that last up to 10 days. This means no verbal communication for 10 straight days, during which you become your own best friend. You also won’t be allowed to handle your electronics, so say goodbye to social media and your email inbox. Some places have also banned reading and writing, so you’ll have to truly get in touch with yourself.

But, what is the point of silent retreats?  

The benefits of silent retreats

More so than the benefits of silent retreats, there are a few underrated and under-appreciated benefits of pure, unadulterated silence.

• You get to understand yourself

When you start to spend more and more time in silence, you begin to hear a train of thought going off on its on. By sitting, walking, and eating in silence for days straight, you are allowing for these thoughts to come to light. This quest for mindfulness will make you gentler with yourself, and more in tune with your emotions. You will then be able to discover who your true self is.

• It’s a real stress buster

Noise has often been associated with stress and commitment, and the cancellation of that moves that burden off your shoulders. A study has been conducted and it has shown that silence has proven to relax both the mind and the brain immensely. And hey, who doesn’t have a little stress they want to get rid of?

• You can find time for your practice

If you’re someone who meditates or practices yoga, there’s no better place to do it than in absolute silence. Keeping calm and focusing on your body means that you are going to understand your body more, modifying poses and thoughts to better align both of them. And, on a silent retreats, you’ll be having plenty of time to do that.

• Heightens sensitivity

Tolerance and sensitivity will be stretched during extended periods of silence. Not only will you begin to develop an inward understanding of yourself, often exposing different aspects you were not aware of previously, you will also begin to increase mindfulness and awareness.

• Regenerates brain cells

In a study, mice exposed to silence have been shown to develop new cells in their brain, specifically their hippocampus. This means your memory and emotions are getting a nice little recharge and renewal, because it internalises everything it sees and hears, working those muscles out nicely.

If this sounds interesting, check out our list of retreats in the region where you can immerse yourself in silence! Head up to the gallery to check them out.

Lee Hui Bing 

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