Best Silent Retreats in the World to Find Inner Peace
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The modern world is noisy. Not just from actual noise pollution, but also with the noise of the constant barrage of information we receive. Sometimes, the best way to love yourself is to shut it all down.
Silent retreats have become more popular. People realize how beneficial they are to mental health. These retreats allow you to avoid all distractions and force you to look inward. They're basically a very intimate getaway with yourself.
These are the most amazing silent retreats to go on, ordered from least to most expensive. Trust us, you'll be thanking yourself.
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15. Online Silent Retreat
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Location: Anywhere
Length: 2 days
Price: $30
Meals: N/A
The Experience: Online Silent Retreat
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There are many reasons why an in-person retreat may not be feasible for some people: money, time, health issues.
This is why we love Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville's online silent retreat, which gives you access to recorded sessions from their in-person silent retreat in Virginia as well as access to live yoga classes.
Of course, it's not ideal to have to connect in order to disconnect, but it's an accessible option for those who simply can't make it in person.
Center yourself at Yogaville's online silent retreat.
Check out more online retreats.
14. Mentored Personal Retreat in California
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Location: Nevada City
Length: 4 days
Price: $235+
Meals: Included
The Experience: Mentored Personal Retreat in California
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The point of a silent retreat is to avoid talking to other people, but sometimes you do need a little guidance.
Ananda Meditation Retreat Center in the Sierra Foothills provides both with its mentored personal seclusion retreats. You'll be able to spend most of the day alone in contemplation, but will also have the space to talk to a mentor and to do guided meditation. This way, you won't feel alone.
The price is for the retreat only and doesn't include accommodations.
Center yourself at Ananda Meditation Retreat Center.
Check out another unique healing retreat in Santa Ysabel, California.
13. Apple Blossom Silent Retreat in New York
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Location: Mount Tremper
Length: 7 days
Price: $175-$300
Meals: Contact center
The Experience: Apple Blossom Silent Retreat in New York
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Held in the beautiful and peaceful Zen Mountain Monastery, this sesshin, or silent retreat, is meant to coincide with the blooming of apple blossoms. In this way, you'll be awakening at the same time as nature, a sort of spring of the soul.
The retreat is led by Zen monks, who'll hold private talks with participants in order to further their spiritual practice.
Get centered at Zen Mountain Monastery.
Check out another silent retreat in Cragsmoor, New York.
12. Complete Silence Retreat in Costa Rica
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Location: San Juanillo
Length: 7 days
Price: $420-$550
Meals: Some meals included
The Experience: Complete Silence Retreat in Costa Rica
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Most silent retreats still hold a limited space for conversation with the retreat leaders. And while this is certainly productive and positive, sometimes it's also important to be in complete silence for a long time.
Not for the faint of heart, this week-long retreat at Pacha Mama asks participants to completely refrain from speaking during the entire program, right up until the last activity, which is a closing circle.
During the week, you'll do meditation and yoga sessions and can spend time in the sweat lodge.
Get centered at Pacha Mama.
Check out more silent retreats around the world.
11. Lake Titicaca Silent Retreat in Peru
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Location: Amantani Island
Length: 5 nights
Price: $555+
Meals: Included
The Experience: Lake Titicaca Silent Retreat in Peru
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Lake Titicaca was one of the most important sites for the Incas and was a center for spiritual devotion.
This mindful tour hosted by Meditation Retreat Peru will take you to Amantani Island, which floats in the lake.
Besides meditation, breathing exercises and time for contemplation, you will visit the island's two temples, and partake in spiritual activities in them.
Get centered with Meditation Retreat Peru.
Check out more wellness retreats in Peru.
10. Weekend Silent Retreat in New York
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Location: Cragsmoor
Length: 2 nights
Price: $250-$570
Meals: Included
The Experience: Weekend Silent Retreat in New York
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The first thing you'll do when you start this silent retreat at Dharmakaya Center is relinquish your cellphone. This way, you won't be distracted by the outside noise that is so easy to access with technology.
Over the course of the weekend, you'll participate in group guided meditations and will have ample time for solitude and seclusion. If you want to participate, there are also daily group or individual talks with one of the center's teachers.
Center yourself at Dharmakaya Center.
Check out more silent retreats in the United States.
9. B&B Silent Retreat in Washington
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Location: Woodinville
Length: 3 days
Price: $650
Meals: Not included
The Experience: B&B Silent Retreat in Washington
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This unusual retreat isn't based at a meditation center, but at a bed and breakfast. Guests of Cottage Lake Bed & Breakfast can opt into the accommodation's spiritual retreat for an added fee.
At its base, the retreat includes three one-hour meditation sessions every day using three different techniques: instructor-guided meditation, Japanese Zen Buddhist music meditation and solo meditation. Additionally, guests can pay extra for yoga classes, life coaching sessions and more.
But what's really worth it is the option to make this into a silent retreat for no additional cost. You can choose the length of time you want to be silent to accommodate your needs. If you feel three days isn't enough, there are longer options.
Center yourself at Cottage Lake Bed & Breakfast.
Check out more silent retreats in the United States.
8. Six-Day Residential Retreat in California
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Location: Woodacre
Length: 6 days
Price: $450-$720
Meals: Included
The Experience: Six-Day Residential Retreat in California
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California has no shortage of retreat spaces, but Spirit Rock is a great option for anyone seeking to do an affordable six-day silent retreat.
Prices vary on a sliding scale depending on what each person can pay, and there are scholarships available for those who simply can't afford the program.
The program centers around contemplative silence, complemented by meditation, walking in nature and learning Buddhist teachings.
Center yourself at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.
Check out more silent retreats in the United States.
7. Five-Day Silent Retreat in Colorado
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Location: Molina
Length: 5 days
Price: $850
Meals: Included
The Experience: Five-Day Silent Retreat
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The Molina Center focuses on sustainability, wellness and mindfulness. All of its retreats seek to enhance these principles, particularly the silent retreat.
During this five-day experience, you'll have gentle yoga and meditation. During your free time, you'll be encouraged to work in the center's garden, which provides the same organic food that will feed you throughout the retreat.
Center yourself at the Molina Center.
Check out more silent retreats in the United States.
6. Week-Long Silent Retreat in Germany
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Location: Hamburg
Length: 7 days
Price: $364-$1,100
Meals: Some meals and ingredients for preparation included
The Experience: Week-Long Silent Retreat in Germany
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If you feel that retreats are often too restraining, you'll probably love the flexibility this eight-day retreat in Hamburg, Germany, affords.
The experience is organized by Little Paradise Retreat Center so that you can choose exactly how much or how little you want to participate in. Even the silent part is flexible so that you can tailor it to what you want or are able to handle. This makes it a perfect place to dip your feet into silent retreats, since it gives you the ability to start slow and adjust.
If a week is for amateurs, there are also options for retreats of up to 40 days.
Center yourself at Little Paradise Retreat Center.
Check out more silent retreats in Germany.
5. Silent Meditation Retreat in Mexico
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Location: Mazunte
Length: 3 days
Price: $545-$1,100
Meals: Meal plans available
The Experience: Silent Meditation Retreat
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Come to Hridaya Yoga center in the Mexican state of Oaxaca to dip your feet into the world of meditation retreats. Lasting only three days, the retreat is a good way to ease into the practice in one of the most beautiful places in the world.
And if you are already in love with silent retreats, there are also 10- and 17-day ones. For those who are worried about cost, the center offers scholarships to make sure anyone can participate.
Center yourself at Hridaya Yoga.
Check out a 12-day silent retreat in Chiapas, Mexico.
4 Group Silent Retreat in Italy
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Location: Assisi
Length: 7 days
Price: $1,100
Meals: Included
The Experience: Group Silent Retreat in Italy
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Assisi is famed for being the birthplace of Saint Francis of Assisi and has long been thought to be a center of spirituality.
You can enjoy the special energy of this medieval town by staying at the Silent Retreat Center, which offers weeklong group retreats throughout the summer. Groups of up to five people will enjoy the Italian hills as well as shared silence — a unique experience that actually builds connection despite the lack of verbal communication.
If you don't want to go with a group, the center also offers individual retreats throughout the year that can range from three to seven nights.
Center yourself at the Silent Retreat Center.
Check out other silent retreats in Europe.
3. Stepping Into Silence Retreat in North Carolina
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Location: Boone
Length: 4 days
Price: $1,135-$1,295
Meals: Included
The Experience: Stepping Into Silence Retreat in North Carolina
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The philosophy of the Art of Living Retreat Center is that you should not be left to your own devices. Rather, the program gives structure and guidance to participants, which includes the usual meditation and yoga sessions complemented with tools and techniques for digging deep within.
If having too much freedom in a silent retreat scares you, this might be a good option for you.
Center yourself at the Art of Living Retreat Center.
Check out more silent retreats in the United States.
2. 16-Day Silent Retreat in India
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Location: Nadavayal, Kerala
Length: 16 days
Price: $1,699
Meals: Contact center
The Experience: 16-Day Silent Retreat in India
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Rome's Wellness Waynroots is a female-led meditation and spiritual center in the Indian state of Kerala.
This silent meditation retreat is not done randomly, but on the sixth month of the Hindu calendar. Practicing Hindus are encouraged on this month to participate un mauna-vrathra, or silence, in order to achieve more harmony within oneself.
Sixteen days is intense, but if you want to follow a millenary spiritual tradition, it is worth the trip to India.
Center yourself at Rome's Wellness Waynroots.
Check out more silent retreats in India.
1. Eight-Day Retreat in India
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Location: Nelamangala, Bangalore
Length: 8 days
Price: $2,290-$2,540
Meals: Included
The Experience: Eight-Day Retreat in India
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The first step in this Shreyas retreat is a one-on-one consultation regarding health, goals and routines, so you're guaranteed to be intentional during your time of silent reflection.
While the price is undeniably steep, the retreat includes personalized sessions like candle meditation and Pranayama sessions. You'll also do several personalized deep relaxation yoga sessions and will get a massage.
You will also be given a notebook so that you can engage in journaling during the experience.
Center yourself at Shreyas Retreat.
Check out more silent retreats in India.