Hi all,
Over the last 15 years I have been asked a number of times if I could hold an AYP silent retreat. So, I have organised one now.
It will be run as a residential retreat in Devon, England, and it will run for seven days (six nights). We will be going into silence on the evening of the first day, after the evening talk, and will remain in silence for five full days. We will come out of silence before breakfast on the last day (day seven).
During the days of silence, the teachers who are leading classes will be able to speak if they are giving instruction. We will have more meditation sessions each day than we usually do on AYP retreats. Sessions will start at four per day and go up to five per day, so there will be around eight, or nine, hours of yoga classes a day, including bhajan (singing) sessions and the evening talks..
As well as being in silence, practitioners will be asked to refrain from watching videos, listening to podcasts or music, other than spiritual podcasts or music, reading books other than spiritual books, and to refrain from singing other than during the group bhajan (kirtan) sessions.
The evening talks will be on the whole process of liberation, looking at what happens over the months and years during the various stages of a spiritual awakening, and how to navigate the path effectively and safely.
This will be the first time we have held an AYP group silent retreat. This is something I have done many times in the form of solo AYP retreats, and something that I have benefitted from greatly. Being in silence verbally increases the inner silence present in the mind. So, I am looking forward to giving others the opportunity to experience being in silence for an extended duration whilst engaging in the AYP practices.
The dates for the retreat are the 14th to 20th September 2027. Alex Wales will be leading the retreat with me, and Sally will be doing the cooking.
Full details and registration are here: