The Silent Retreat
Eight days of meditation, movement & breathwork . To unlock the next version of you.
🗓️ 10 Nov – 18 Nov 2024
📍 S. Portugal
A Journey Into Your 'Self'
This is a deep journey designed to bring you to a state of inner clarity, strength & joy.
If you're looking for a true break in your life, to get clarity over next steps, or are curious about who you are beyond your thoughts … this is for you.
For the first 5 full days, this retreat combines a committed daily meditation practice with yoga sessions, breathwork, ayurvedic food and ancient teachings. In a completely silent and screens-free setting.
On the sixth day we combine our meditative practices with sharings, and more playful activities. Before using the final day to capture the insights into a vision for our life going forwards.
So that you can you can reconnect with your innate being – finding the stillness, purpose and fulfilment that is within you.
From the rigor of this seven day inner journey, the space may arise within you for something wonderful to emerge.
Retreat Highlights
Recognise your attachments through meditation. Enter stillness through the breath. Enliven your body through light yoga. Release the mind through deep silence.
It's time to step into the next version of you.
✔ up to 6 hours meditation daily
✔ 2 yoga & pranayama sessions daily
✔ 8 day retreat; silent & screens-free for 5 days
✔ 3 fresh ayurvedic meals everyday
✔ introduction to meditation techniques and spiritual teachings daily
✔ embodiment practices, group sessions, future-self visualisations and more, over final two days
✔ opening and closing ceremonies
✔ Beautiful venue in nature. With shala, lounges, outdoor hikes and more.
The Schedule
With 9 hours practice per day – at times it will be challenging, at times wondrous. One thing is for sure ... you won't come out the same.
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In the Algarve, Portugal
We'll be in a beautiful retreat centre, Karuna. Surrounded by deeply silent nature, forests, beaches and blue skies.
Accommodation
You can stay in a shared room, with your own bed. Or in a private bedroom all to yourself. The venue is a beautiful retreat centre that has been used for silent retreats for over 30 years.
Meals
We'll serve two full meals per day, and one light one. Taking inspiration from monastic life. The food will be ayurvedic, and vegan. Expect a clean, hearty breakfast. A fresh and bountiful lunch. And a soup based dinner.
This method and style of eating is key in our inner journey. Enabling a clear mind, lightness of body and detoxing of our system.
Your Guides
Thomas Mathias
A teacher-practitioner, mentor, and body-worker. Sharing Hatha Yoga, Pranayama, Meditation, non-dual & Tantric philosophy.
He's been practicing and studying intensely for nearly a decade, traveling worldwide to learn with some of todays best spiritual teachers, and has taught and mentored internationally since 2019, being widely praised by those who come in touch with his work.
Extracting from a variety of eastern methods and disciplines, he is known for his energy and ability to communicate complex concepts in an easy and practical way.
He believes that the spiritual path should be about combining the gems from different traditions; seeking out similarities and compatibility, and leaving out what doesn’t work. More about him: thomasmathias.com
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Harry Verma
Harry has over six years of creating colivings that bring entrepreneurial people together from around the world, to immerse themselves in meditation and spiritual practices.
An explorer of different practices, he brings the creative vision to creating this rigorous yet approachable silent retreat.
What's Included
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8 nights of accommodation
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upto 6 hours of meditation daily
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2 hours guided yoga daily
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guided pranayamas
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3 ayurvedic meals per day
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opening and closing ceremony
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teachings from Patanjali, Buddha, Tantra and more
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sharing circles, 1on1s, ecstatic dance
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'future self' workshop
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at a retreat centre with 30+ years of experience
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surrounded by silent nature
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'screens-free & phones-free' environment
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likeminded group of people to share the inner journey with
FAQ
This retreat exists so that you can remember your Innate being.
That there's no need for screens or processed foods, stimulants or societal expectations. And, in fact, once clear of those influences, we can use meditative practices ... to see reality as it is.
Finding clarity, joy and wisdom – all within ourselves. Feeling strong, open and alive.
Upto 4 weeks before, if you can't make the retreat, tell us in writing. And we will be able to apply your downpayment towards another retreat or colive at Innate. After 4 weeks, you cannot do this, and will lose your downpayment if you don't pay the remaining balance.
A deposit of €400 is paid now; and the rest of the payment due is paid 4 weeks before the retreat begins.
Yes, some experience would be useful. Whether you've done retreats before, or are simply doing some meditation through apps when you're at home ... we welcome different levels onto this retreat. But it's useful to have some familiarity, even if it's just 15 minutes per day for the 2 weeks before joining the retreat.
An alternative to more rigorous silent retreats that have 10-12 hours of meditation a day, where other practices are prohibited ... we provide a a variety of methods that support meditation and your inner journey.
For those used to vipassana retreats, expect a lighter and more playful journey through this retreat. A lovely compliment to those stricter experiences; all with their role to play on your spiritual path : )
Ayurveda is an ancient science from India on food, healing and medicine. It strongly emphasizes proper digestion, and aims to bring the body and mind into a balanced state of ‘sattva’, or purity. We will use inspiration from Ayurvedic principles to properly combine foods, eat seasonally and eliminate certain foods. To support your meditation practice.
As long as it is completely silent and you are able to follow the structure of the retreat, you are more than welcome to do your own method. We will provide an alternative to ‘progressive path’ meditation (f.e. Vipassana or Mantra meditation), also known as a ‘direct path’ method. We do recommend you to come with an open attitude and try our guided sessions.
We've experienced the profound power of Vipassana retreats. Designed by the renowned Buddhist Goenka, it's a very rigorous 10 day silent retreat that's doing wonderful work across the world.
For us, it took us to a state of deep clarity and profound joy.
BUT – they're pretty rigid and very tough experiences.
So, we set off to create a more playful and varied retreat to bring people towards this state ... inspired by the Vipassana.
At 7 days instead of 10, we allow 8 hours sleep too instead of 5. Having 3 meals per day instead of 2, and the final days not in complete silence. Incorporating some other tools that we've found supportive of meditation; yoga, ayurvedic eating, breathwork, some sharing and visualisations.
YET still keeping it rigorous enough – with a backbone of 6 hours meditation per day, deep silence kept most days, and no screens allowed.
Disciplined, but a little playful.
Structured, but a little fluid.
Intense, but also relaxing.
You may confront your ego during this. That may prove difficult.
But with the support of the group, our teachers and the setting ... you'll make it through. And onto the other side.
Spacious. Open. Calm & joyful.
Your innate nature.