Why the silent retreat? Why would we do this to ourselves? Beyond some ‘extreme sport’ where we need to leap into something new and slightly masochistic, what does a silent retreat have to do with anything? Because on the outside it looks like a torturous nothing, right?
Well, the retreat is where you find out how much fabulousness exists in the nothing. The retreat is where we truly begin to connect to Self and the journey we have undertaken in this life. We’ve been carrying around the same pain, the same stories, the same fear, the same anger, for years. We go around and around in it, stuck in our mental/emotional feedback loops for lifetimes. How do I get off this ride? We literally jump off. Into silence.
The retreat offers us an opportunity to bring our stuff into focus. In the silence, we can see some of the patterns to which we have been enslaved. The anger that we thought was oh so righteous reveals itself to be a story we have been telling ourselves. We begin to understand that fear is really just smoke and mirrors. We start to see the ways we have been protecting ourselves, coping, creating narratives and illusions to keep us from life and living. We begin to see them because in the silence when the mind and nervous system are not on guard, it becomes safer to look inward in an honest way. When the alarm bells stop ringing (and we all have alarm bells ringing all of the time, just most of us have gotten used to them) it becomes possible to sidle up to our pain and have a compassionate look. In the silence and in the energy of the group and the teacher, we fill ourselves up and swim in the compassion of consciousness. In that space, it becomes much safer to look at the stuff that our ego has been so diligent about keeping to ensure our ignorance, our avoidance. We no longer need to avoid because we have given ourselves a soft landing. We have room to dig deep, see truths from our heart, not our head. In that space, we find forgiveness for self and others, and we allow ourselves to expand into love versus contract into fear and anger. And that expansion feels delicious.
A great retreat is lead by a teacher that has been through the work and contributes that energy of consciousness to the collective, giving a ‘boost’ to your healing potential. We lift your energies into places where you might not be able to go on your own, taking you further along your healing path. You are always directing your own path but with the silent encouragement of universal consciousness nudging you, cheering you on. Getting closer to self in silence is a courageous and sacred journey within revealing the marvel that is truly you.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the upcoming silent yoga and meditation retreat Michelle Compas and I are facilitating this May, please visit the itinerary page and contact me with any questions you may have.
