How to Prepare
For a Silent Yoga Retreat?
A silent yoga retreat, as the name suggests, is one where you observe silence, both in verbal and in non-verbal communication, for the duration of the retreat.
Depending on your particular retreat, there might be some time that is slotted for communication with the teachers and other participants, you might be allowed to speak once the day is over, or there might be a restriction on all speech for the entire duration.
Whichever is the case, how to prepare for a silent yoga retreat and get the most of it?
- Leave your contact details, pack some love and one week before the retreat, try to reduce the time you spend on your phone.
- Practice sitting on the floor.
- Adjust your circadian rhythm to not struggle with the retreat schedules.
- Define what is your purpose of doing a silent yoga retreat?
Attending a silent yoga retreat can be challenging if one is not prepared physically, mentally, and emotionally for the process. So, keep reading to find out more about the details of how to prepare for a silent yoga retreat.
1. Learn to live without your phone
One tip that is very helpful is to make sure that you do not need your phone during your retreat.
This means that if there are any delegations that you need to make, any auto-responses that you need to create, any tasks that you need to be out of the way, and any people that need to be aware of your absence, please do all of those things before you step into the retreat.
Also, since a phone is not something that we are used to not having around us, there can be some anxiety around not being able to communicate with loved ones or checking if all is well.
Two things can help.
The first is to leave the contact number of your retreat to near and dear ones so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency and your mind can stop creating end of the world scenarios.
The second is to carry with you something tactile or something you can see that helps you feel connected to your loved ones.
In order to prepare, what you can also do is put away your phone for a few hours every day in the week leading up to your retreat, just so there is no going cold turkey and suffering through it.
2. Practice sitting on the floor
A silent yoga retreat is more meditative in nature.
There are bound to be sessions where you sit on the floor and practice breathing exercises or guided meditations.
While some retreats can make chairs available, in order to get an authentic experience, you will need to sit on the floor.
Meditation cushions help to make that easier.
If you have joint issues, if your hips and groin area are not open, or if you have a weak lower back, floor sitting can be painful and uncomfortable.
Working on these areas of your body before you join your retreat can help you sit for longer without experiencing distress.
3. Regulate and adjust your circadian rhythm
In most of the silent yoga retreats you’ll wake up at 4 or 5 am.
So, if you are not used to it, this can create unwanted consequences like difficulty concentrating, fatigue, irritability, chronic insomnia, etc.
One week prior the silent yoga retreat you can:
- Go to bed earlier, around 9 pm.
- Get up at 5 am. Experience the quietness of the early morning.
- Wash your face with clear water first thing in the morning
- Start your day with a morning yoga session and a meditation practice
- Eat a good nutritious breakfast
4. Set a clear intention
Setting an intention will impact how you show up to the silent yoga retreat and the possibilities are endless when it comes to setting intentions.
Intention is the starting point of every dream. Everything that happens begins with intention.
By setting an intention, you activate a part of your receptivity.
You are allowing this thing to happen to you.
So, sit down and think about what it is that you want to achieve with this silent yoga retreat.
“You are what your deepest desire is. As your desire is, so is your intention. As your intention is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny.” – The Upanishads
And that’s it!
I hope this list has been insightful, and that it’s going to help you preparing your next silent yoga retreat. If you want us to expand on any of the points discussed here, feel free to submit your questions below.
If you found this post useful, you might want to save THIS PIN below to your Pinterest Yoga Retreat board to check the post later.
