Under a blanket of stillness and snow
Reflections from the Inner Joy Vipassana Retreat (Jan 22 – Feb 1 2025)
In the heart of winter, a group gathered at Dharma Mountain for the Inner Joy – 10-day Vipassana retreat in silence.
Outside, snow was falling day after day, covering the landscape, the trees and the mountains in a silent white blanket. Inside, days unfolded slowly through meditation, gentle movement practices, shared meals, and long hours of simply being.
During the retreat, participants also had access to a creative room — a space for painting, drawing, and writing in silence. Often, when the mind settles, creativity begins to flow naturally.
After the retreat, many participants shared words and images with us, we are happy to share some of them. Thank you!
A winter night around the fire
On the final evening of the retreat, the group gathered outside around the fire. The sky had been cloudy the whole day, but as we sat there suddenly the full moon showed itself.
Gilly from Scotland painted this moment after she heard there would be a bonfire the last evening. Little did she know that the campfire would be exactly where she painted it. Magic in the silence!
A poem
Sofia from Sweden shared this poem written during the retreat:
Ten days
Under a blanket of stillness and snow,
diamonds falling from the sky.
The windlessness,
The dark night skies
Crystal breath
The newborn mountains
Morning meditation
The joy of coffee
Thank you, all of your beautiful souls
For all your different frequencies
What a luxury to be around you
Thank you Leena and Vimal
For your safe, stargazed guidance
Painting in the cold
Signe from Norway brought her colors and spendt many moments outside painting:
«Winter forest. I've now tried observational ink painting in -20°C. It is cold! The paintbrush freezes and goes stiff after a while. It is fun and full of surprises! Towards the end some perfectly formed little snowflakes landed in drops of ink and miraculously managed to print themselves onto the page.«
Signe Torp
A song
After returning home, Stian from Norway wrote to us and shared a song that reminded him of the retreat:
This "song" describes for me the moment that we all share, into eternity.
“Sit Around the Fire” by Ram Dass (Listen on Spotify)
“It’s honestly been a power space once again. It is restorative with such amazing depth and all wrapped in warm love.”
— Louise Semple
We feel deeply thankful to everyone who joined this winter’s Inner Joy retreat, and for creating such a deep and profound space together.
Gilly McArthur’s print can be ordered by email.
The next Inner Joy – 10-day Vipassana Retreat skjer 19. – 29. januar. Les mer here.
