Silent meditation retreats. Benefits, techniques and methods to seek more silence in our lives

We speak to the owners of The Hermitage silent meditation retreat about the methods and benefits of awakening to a more peaceful reality by going beyond the mind in silence and meditation.

In a world where there’s always a new update to check, a photo to look at, and a person to connect with, where technology dominates our lives, there seems to be very little silence in today’s world. But completely off the grid in the Hermitage Silent meditation eco retreat At Lake Atitlán in Guatemala, Emma and Severin, the beautiful couple who founded the place, believe that silence is the greatest teacher.

The beautiful meditation hall overlooking Lake Atitlán in the Hermitage © The Hermitage

What is silent meditation?

“Everything you need to know can be found in times of loneliness and silence,” says Emma. However, the world we live in is full of it Distractions“That try to keep you from actually looking inward and feeling what is going on for you in this moment and feeling that moment as a whole, feeling the sunlight on your skin or the wind on your face or to feel the presence of other people around you ”.

“So if you spend even a day in silence, alone somewhere in nature, so many insights begin to flow. It opens up so much. So many blockages that were in place to fill ourselves become constantly available as we become more open and empty to receive the messages from ourselves, from our emotions, from our own thoughts, from our own inspiration and creativity and from the messages of the universe or maybe even from God if we believe in God or like to use that word to describe something bigger than ourselves ”.

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A blissful group meditation during a 10-day silent retreat at the Hermitage © The Hermitage

The benefits of meditation

Meditation is similar Services. “When we sit alone, observe and observe the thoughts, we begin to realize that thoughts often run in endless cycles and always on the same topics. The same thing over and over and probably 90 percent about me, me and me, ”says Emma. We realize how obsessed we are with the past and the future when we really just sit here in this present moment. We realize that we are not our thoughts and that the mind certainly does not have to become the author of our reality.

“There is a Reality outside of the mindand that reality is very peaceful, awake and available to the environment. When we step into this reality we feel a peacefulness, a love, an optimism, a flow of life through and around us, and this is one of the great beauties of meditation. It simply means opening up to what is already there in and around us and only becoming available to what brings so much peace and happiness into our lives! “.

View of the beautiful lake from the retreat center © Sarine Arslanian

Silent meditation retreat, why visit the Hermitage

The Hermitage provides the ideal place to cultivate one open heartBe more conscious and present and go deep into yourself. There is a large circular meditation hall overlooking the lake that can be used anytime to practice, and beautiful gardens with hundreds of flowers, medicinal tea plants, fruit trees and much more, plus plenty of areas and tree platforms to sit on, meditate and contemplate the nature. Even the bathrooms with composting toilets have great views. All gardens are organic and based on permaculture principles. Solar energy is used for all power and showering needs.

Emma, ​​Severin and little Benzra welcome you with open arms during the silent meditation retreat The Hermitage on Lake Atitlán in Guatemala © The Hermitage

Methods and Techniques

For those interested in a group retreat, as well as those who have already experienced some retreats and are ready to go all alone in silence and solitude, this is the perfect place. The Hermitage offers a 10-day New Year meditation retreat, a 30-day retreat in May, a 49-day self-examination retreat from January to March, and a three-month retreat from mid-June to mid-September. All are silent and include inspiring teachings and guided meditations. The first two also include a daily yoga session. For those who want to go alone, there are five beautiful huts all year round as well as a completely light-tight stone house for a dark retreat experience without any distraction. Either way, it’s about giving yourself the space to dive deep into yourself and reflect on your life and the essence of who you really are.