Emily Hill interviewed Ohui Retreat for this article in The Huffington Post. Here is the full interview with Atma who is a director of Ashram Yoga.
Is this a vipassana-style or inspired program? Or does your lineage have a tradition of silent retreats?
Meditation practice and experience is the main focus of this retreat. As our lineage is steeped in the classical and traditional style of Raja Yoga, the beauty of the silent mediation retreat at Ohui is that it combines Raja Yoga style meditation practices with asana classes, pranayama, yogic relaxation and kirtan, to create a holistic experience and support the long meditation sessions. Tutors are also present and available throughout the programme, guiding participants in each of the sessions.
What are the major benefits of silence over three days?
Three-day and five-day meditation retreats are designed to explore your inner experience. Being on silence means there are no distractions from your inner dialogue, thoughts and feelings. It is a very good way to develop a deeper relationship with yourself and how your mind works. It is also a way to conserve energy to use for the inward journey as we use a vast amount of energy communicating with others. Being on silence also gives people an opportunity to perceive the more subtle energies and aspects of themselves, plus allow a deeply creative and inspiring understanding to arise from within. A beautiful way to tap into your own inner wisdom and I would say this is what people benefit from the most.
Why not a longer or shorter period?
We originally designed the 3-day silent retreat as an "achievable" start for those that were working towards longer periods of silence and meditation practice. Including other form of yoga practice to support the meditation sessions gives people many tools to stay with their practice, work through resistance and realise their strengths. You need at least three days to create the space and time for transformation and we have now extended this to a 5-day retreat which many are really enjoying and benefiting from. Life-changing is a common comment made by many participants!
What are the participants in your silent meditation retreats searching for?
Timeout from a stressful life.
Personal growth.
Looking for positive change and a way to to do that.
To come back to their own sense of self.
Do they come away satisfied?
Yes they do. We have been running these retreats for the past six years and hundreds of people have thoroughly enjoyed their experience, many of them coming back again and again. Participants also comment on how this supports their life once back at home and work and that they have tools now to keep creating balance.
Is this a vipassana-style or inspired program? Or does your lineage have a tradition of silent retreats?
Meditation practice and experience is the main focus of this retreat. As our lineage is steeped in the classical and traditional style of Raja Yoga, the beauty of the silent mediation retreat at Ohui is that it combines Raja Yoga style meditation practices with asana classes, pranayama, yogic relaxation and kirtan, to create a holistic experience and support the long meditation sessions. Tutors are also present and available throughout the programme, guiding participants in each of the sessions.
What are the major benefits of silence over three days?
Three-day and five-day meditation retreats are designed to explore your inner experience. Being on silence means there are no distractions from your inner dialogue, thoughts and feelings. It is a very good way to develop a deeper relationship with yourself and how your mind works. It is also a way to conserve energy to use for the inward journey as we use a vast amount of energy communicating with others. Being on silence also gives people an opportunity to perceive the more subtle energies and aspects of themselves, plus allow a deeply creative and inspiring understanding to arise from within. A beautiful way to tap into your own inner wisdom and I would say this is what people benefit from the most.
Why not a longer or shorter period?
We originally designed the 3-day silent retreat as an "achievable" start for those that were working towards longer periods of silence and meditation practice. Including other form of yoga practice to support the meditation sessions gives people many tools to stay with their practice, work through resistance and realise their strengths. You need at least three days to create the space and time for transformation and we have now extended this to a 5-day retreat which many are really enjoying and benefiting from. Life-changing is a common comment made by many participants!
What are the participants in your silent meditation retreats searching for?
Timeout from a stressful life.
Personal growth.
Looking for positive change and a way to to do that.
To come back to their own sense of self.
Do they come away satisfied?
Yes they do. We have been running these retreats for the past six years and hundreds of people have thoroughly enjoyed their experience, many of them coming back again and again. Participants also comment on how this supports their life once back at home and work and that they have tools now to keep creating balance.
