On Your Side
Silent retreats give people a chance to unplug and relax
A new travel trend has vacationers literally turning down the volume, relaxing and reflecting, and enjoying their vacation--without saying a word.
Jayne Charneski is a busy marketing executive. Always on the phone or on the computer. She doesn't have a lot of down time. "I was working a lot of late nights and weekends and it was just really intense," Chameski recalls. So she decided to tune out a lot of the noise in her life by trying something different--a 5-day silent retreat. Silent retreats, where you literally have to take a vow of silence during your trip, have become a huge travel trend says Travel and Leisure Associate Editor Kathryn O'Shea-Evans. "I think it's because we're just so completely bombarded with texts, Facebook, Twitter messages, emails, and phone calls. It's endless and sometimes as human beings we just need to unplug and get away." Silent retreat centers can run the gamut from bare-bones accommodations to luxury resorts, with pricing that reflects both options. Some allow group interaction while others encourage you to spend time on your own. "Spa treatments, hiking, canoeing. Amazing meals, just reading," O'Shea-Evans explains. Some retreats require total silence, while others have select silent periods. Many of them ask that you leave your technology at the door.
Nat Reid is the director of a silent retreat center. He says, "It's our belief that by becoming disconnected in the ways we connect through our technology we can become more connected to ourselves."
He adds while staying silent can be difficult, it can also be transformative. "People often talk about a renewed sense of wonder, kind of rediscovering the joy of being out on a beautiful day and maybe just watching the way the light changes in the evening."
Gale Quick agrees. He's been going on silent retreats for 30 years.
"Get a little better focus, a little better distance from the pressures and busy-ness of everyday life,' Quick says.
Jayne says the benefits of her one-time retreat speaks volumes for itself. "It's a really powerful feeling to be, really be in the know, to really be in the know and really be experiencing what's before you."
Retreats can last a few hours, a weekend, a week, or even an entire month, depending on your needs.
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