Participants are trusted to observe silence when it is suggested, as the benefits accumulate from experiencing the silence. However, the Prana Del Mar retreat, being in a desert area next to the ocean, provides plenty of natural environment for participants to take walks and converse without disturbing others.

If you are someone who wants to observe partial silence just be very mindful of those who want to observe more continual silence when in their presence. We will have name tags which for those who want to maintain full “noble silence”.

Meals your day of arrival and breakfast on the first day of the retreat will not be in silence. But from lunch that day onward, meals will be in silence. Because you will need to speak with the food servers, etc., silence during meals is called “functional silence.”

Mealtimes are a place where we can observe our strong tendency to want to talk. But once you adjust to it, you realize you are freed from having to present yourself to others as interesting, funny, or whatever, which for most people offers a welcome reprieve.

The intention of the retreat is to be mindful of each bite, each step, each sound, and each breath. You might be surprised how different your experience of food is while observing silence.

Abstaining from all phone use—talking, texting, online shopping, etc.—is part of maintaining the retreat experience of unplugging. It is also part of the experience of silence. So, ideally you will tell your family and friends that you are going to be either offline or with very limited access to your phone. If you do need to use your phone, limit your use to the privacy of your room or when walking outside away from the retreat center.

If you need to communicate with a teacher or staff member at the retreat center during periods of silence, that’s fine, but don’t get carried away. Writing notes to the other participants on an ongoing basis defeats the purpose of the silence. If you want to give feedback to some aspect of the retreat, we will offer feedback forms and periods of Q&A where you can provide your input.

Some attendees will and others will take breaks and meditate elsewhere or take a walk or go back to their room for a nap..

We will ease you into your meditation sessions, as we will have people of all levels of experience. In general, the sitting sessions are 20-30 minutes in length. They alternate with walking meditation, which we will do both in the meditation room and outside through practices such as nature meditation or “aimless wandering” meditation. Twice daily, we will be offering a mindful movement, or gentle yoga class.

The center will have meditation cushions or you can travel with your own. There will also be chairs available for those that for whatever reason are not comfortable on a cushion on the floor. We will offer instruction on the most beneficial meditation postures, whether on a cushion or in a chair. Or you can practice meditation lying down.

No. While it helps to have the interest and perhaps some knowledge of Buddhism, the teachings are not intended to indoctrinate you to any particular belief. The subject is learning to work with your mind and relate in more positive ways to the various states of mind we all experience in meditation and in daily life.

It varies from person to person. But no one will be holding your feet to the fire, so to speak. All experiences are optional. If you find the meditation sessions too arduous, you are free to not attend. In general, if you stick with it, the benefits will be commensurate to your efforts. The discomfort is mostly at the beginning, when your body is more restless and your mind is still loaded with thoughts. The sitting and walking periods, which once may have felt rigidly scheduled, will start to assume a natural cadence.

As you unplug and relax into the silence, space usually opens up in both your body and mind, which you will want to carry with you after the retreat. You will likely find that not speaking, reading, scrolling or watching a screen is a true exercise in being in the present moment. A weeklong retreat allows you a deeper knowledge of the power of meditation that only extended time can give.