Silence is the new luxury
10 days in silence is a unique opportunity to find inner peace and joy. Practicing silence and meditation in scenic surroundings is a gift that few give themselves. But when we actually do it, it feels like a deep form of luxury. Read more about what two of the course leaders say about what ten days in silence can do for you.
Why ten days?
There is no rule stating that exactly ten days are needed to learn Vipassana meditation and to receive benefits from it. Meditation is a journey of a lifetime. But a ten day retreat may give us the time we need to go through layers which prevent us from experiencing the silence and peace that are naturally there, inside of us, so we can have a deeper experience.
Our experience has shown that the first two to three days are spent learning the technique, getting into the practice and settling here. During the following days we face ourselves, our thoughts, sensations, feelings and moods. For some, this phase might be easy, maybe even a relief to just be with oneself. For others, it may be challenging. It is normal to experience restlessness, resistance and uncomfortable feelings. With patience and with the structure of the retreat, everything is invited to come up, and also to pass, in its own time. After these days of going deeper, things start to settle - just like sand in murky water takes time to come to rest at the bottom. Thoughts and challenges may still be there, but little by little we get a distance to them.
By giving ourselves as much as ten days, the silence will be more integrated and we can more easily bring the quality of silence into our lives.
Meditation the natural way
For us at Dharma Mountain, meditation is not only a technique - it is the very presence and connection with the deep peace we all naturally have in ourselves. In a society where our attention is constantly pulled outwards and where all focus is on achieving and performing, many of us have lost the connection with the natural and peaceful place inside. Meditation techniques are available to help us and to allow us to practice coming back to the peace which is always there.
We can bring meditation into everything we do – into our work and our interactions with others. It is an inner resting place – a source of nourishment, no matter what is happening on the outside.
Why join a 10-day retreat?
During a longer retreat, meditation has the opportunity to develop at its own pace and naturally deepens over time. It gives you the chance to:
- Let go of distractions and fully immerse yourself in the present moment.
- Establish a meditation practice with a solid foundation.
- Experience the profound transformation that can only come from giving yourself the time to relax and simply be.
This retreat is more than an introduction to Vipassana; it is a transformative journey into silence, awareness, and peace.
The next 10-day silent retreat takes place January 22 – February 1, 2026. The retreat is called Inner JoyIn the silence, we come into contact with an inner joy that has no external cause — a quiet joy in simply existing, which is our natural essence. Read more here.