September 4, 2024

“Through the voice of silence and peace God tries to speak to all His children in response to their prayers… The Sustainer of the universe is knocking at the gate of your heart trying to walk in through the portals of silence and create within you a garden of happiness filled with roses of immortal qualities.” —Paramahansa Yogananda

Silence—sacred, soft, soothing—lies at the heart of meditation.

When we meditate alone, inner silence serves as a portal to ever deeper calmness and sweet peace.

The Power of Shared Silence

What happens when we meditate in silence with other devotees? We support and sustain each other’s efforts. That’s exactly the intention of going on retreat. Along with an opportunity to escape for a time the stress and routine of daily duties, even a brief retreat provides much needed time to refocus and renew our spiritual practice.

Take Greenfield’s recent one day silent retreat for women as an example. August 24 was a perfect summer day, sunny but not too hot. We started the day with energization outdoors.

Then we meditated for the rest of the morning, just a couple dozen women, with Sister Brahmani offering brief words of encouragement and inspiration from Paramahansaji’s teachings. We chanted. We meditated. We chanted. We mediated some more, diving ever deeper and sweeter.

There’s something about meditating with other devotees that helps each of us. Through our mutual exchange of vibrations, we reinforce each other’s efforts.

After meditation we enjoyed a brief pre-lunch break, an opportunity to spend private time on the beautiful rural grounds at the Front Royal 4-H Center. Several women headed out for a walk to get in some exercise. One woman spread a blanket on the lawn to do hatha yoga postures. Others pulled out their SRF Lessons and settled in for some study time.

Prepared in Greenfield’s ashram kitchen, the healthy, gluten-free vegan meal features quinoa and millet salad, crisps and hummus, followed by a dessert of lemon Italian ice.

Lunch is eaten in silence, looking out on green lawn and forested mountain views.

After lunch we took in a film of the 50th Anniversary of the dedication of Lake Shrine in Los Angeles. That featured brief talks by six monastics who were direct disciples of our revered Gurudev.

The day closed with energization exercises and a brief meditation.

It was just one sweet day, but what a treat—a Greenfield retreat feels like a sacred gift to oneself.

Greenfield Offers Regular Retreats

Upcoming Greenfield retreats include:

Sept. 27-29 — A 3-day retreat for both men and women.

Oct. 11-13 — A 3-day kriyaban retreat for women. This retreat is already filled. However, it is still possible to get on the waiting list.

For details about these retreats and general information about Greenfield retreats, please click on the retreat button at the top of this website.