This is a bit of a long blog, so be warned. I've just spent 10 days on a silence retreat. If you can spare 10 days I'd really recommend it. There are various 'Hollywood' versions where people spend thousands of pounds (or dollars) but they are all the same.
For anyone who's looking to take time out, but not have to spend a fortune doing so I'd recommend this one! Details at the bottom.

Day one:

When I told friends about plans for a 10-day silence retreat they thought I was joking. One, who knew that one of my reasons for going was to put a line between myself and two years of career-induced stress that included redundancy, moving, writing a book and going freelance said  'if you aren't already out of your mind you will be after that'.

But curiousity was stronger than fear (I'll admit to being a bit scared about being left alone with my mind, who knows what strange secrets it held) and I arrived at the Dippa Dhamma farm near Hereford to learn the vipassana, a 2,500 year old form of Buddhist meditation revived in the 1970s by Burmese businessman S.N Goenka.

The silence was just part of the deal, as well as being completely cut off from the world I would be spending 10 hours a day meditating, would eat only vegan food, and be forbidden to communicate with my fellow retreaters.

Day One:

Soon after arrival we surrendered books, mobiles, magazines, pens and notepads.  We were then given our last chance; if we couldn't commit to the full 10 days we should leave now or forever hold our peace.

Day Two:

The noble silence is really doing my head in, my mind appears to have turned its attention inward and I  become a human iPod. The scariest thing is, I didn't seem to be able to control the playlist. So I attempted to switch Shut Up by the Black Eyed Peas into something soothing, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata to match the splendid full moon outside. But instead Beyonce warbled in with Baby Boy and Naughty Girl.

Day Two

By now I had started to hear music everywhere. Like the imaginary oasis in the desert my sound starved ears convinced me that Beyonce and Sean Paul are really singing Baby Boy. But it's a cruel trick, I search desperately for a radio, only to realise the sound is coming from a nearby tractor. Later on I swear a sheep in a nearby field calls to me, Saaaaam Saaaaam. Even my even shower seems to be singing Donna Summer's The State of Independence.

Day Three

I start to chill out a bit. Most of the time it was a relief not to have to communicate with my fellow silencees, I had never realised just what an effort even the most mundane everyday conversations took and felt strangely liberated.

Day Four

My feelings are coming in waves. There are times when it becomes too much.  I saw an extra large spider crawling up a woman's coat and instead of I screaming ended up having to stifle hysterical laughter.

Day Five

I wanted to hit a wall when my meditation cushions went missing. Me who doesn't even care when the cat takes over my bed pillow at home! (We spend eight hour plus meditationg) But that was nothing compared to the child whose regular tantrums preoccupied my mind. I keep wanting to leave but have to pull myself back. She (the child)  was the one who wanted to leave, my adult wanted to stay.

Day Six

I start to find some peace, I ate more slowly, because I could concentrate all my senses into tasting and savouring my food. My sight become clearer and I find myself marvelling at the brightness of the colours of a Red Admiral butterfly and a green beetle type creature.

Day Seven
Complete calm!

Day Eight

Feeling even calmer...

Day Nine
For me the biggest revelation was not the effect of sharpening up my senses but the obsession I have developed with the other retreaters, we shared the same dining tables, even rooms yet cannot even look each other in the eye. My curiousity became all consuming and deprived of information I end up making instant assumptions about them. some of them I'm now ashamed of. I even convinced myself they were all secretly talking when I wasn't around.

My dreams were something else too, when we compared notes on the final day I was not the only one who felt her brain had been training as a Hollywood script writer all week.  In one very memorable one a good me and a bad me had been fighting it out, think of the scene in Superman III when Clark Kent fights with his bad Kryptonite poisoned bad alter ego. The good me, appears to be my conscious mind, the bad me my subconscious.  I do not remember who won.

Day Ten

My return to the real i.e. all noisy, all senses-assaulting world, put me into a total state of panic. For four days afterwards I gabbled away to even more strangers than usual, the drycleaner gets an hour rather than 20 minutes and this time we discuss the European elections as well as the seam quality of Karen Millen and Reiss versus Top Shop and Oasis.

But as my experience starts to sink in, I start to take in Goenke's teachings. The aim of the vipassana is to help us overcome the cravings and aversions that make us unhappy. Like spending too much or even eating too much.

Against all odds I picked up a craving, to spend a few minutes a day in a quiet room with no interruption each day. But then wanting more silence in my life would be like wanting more hours in the day, somehow, however much I got, it would never be enough.

For information on 10 day and weekend silence and meditation retreats contact Dhamma Dipa farm on 01989 730234 or apply online at www.dipa.dhamma.org

This is a bit of a long blog, so be warned. I've just spent 10 days on a silence retreat. If you can spare 10 days I'd really recommend it. There are various 'Hollywood' versions where people spend thousands of pounds (or dollars) but they are all the same.
For anyone who's looking to take time out, but not have to spend a fortune doing so I'd recommend this one! Details at the bottom.

Day one:

When I told friends about plans for a 10-day silence retreat they thought I was joking. One, who knew that one of my reasons for going was to put a line between myself and two years of career-induced stress that included redundancy, moving, writing a book and going freelance said  'if you aren't already out of your mind you will be after that'.

But curiousity was stronger than fear (I'll admit to being a bit scared about being left alone with my mind, who knows what strange secrets it held) and I arrived at the Dippa Dhamma farm near Hereford to learn the vipassana, a 2,500 year old form of Buddhist meditation revived in the 1970s by Burmese businessman S.N Goenka.

The silence was just part of the deal, as well as being completely cut off from the world I would be spending 10 hours a day meditating, would eat only vegan food, and be forbidden to communicate with my fellow retreaters.

Day One:

Soon after arrival we surrendered books, mobiles, magazines, pens and notepads.  We were then given our last chance; if we couldn't commit to the full 10 days we should leave now or forever hold our peace.

Day Two:

The noble silence is really doing my head in, my mind appears to have turned its attention inward and I  become a human iPod. The scariest thing is, I didn't seem to be able to control the playlist. So I attempted to switch Shut Up by the Black Eyed Peas into something soothing, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata to match the splendid full moon outside. But instead Beyonce warbled in with Baby Boy and Naughty Girl.

Day Two

By now I had started to hear music everywhere. Like the imaginary oasis in the desert my sound starved ears convinced me that Beyonce and Sean Paul are really singing Baby Boy. But it's a cruel trick, I search desperately for a radio, only to realise the sound is coming from a nearby tractor. Later on I swear a sheep in a nearby field calls to me, Saaaaam Saaaaam. Even my even shower seems to be singing Donna Summer's The State of Independence.

Day Three

I start to chill out a bit. Most of the time it was a relief not to have to communicate with my fellow silencees, I had never realised just what an effort even the most mundane everyday conversations took and felt strangely liberated.

Day Four

My feelings are coming in waves. There are times when it becomes too much.  I saw an extra large spider crawling up a woman's coat and instead of I screaming ended up having to stifle hysterical laughter.

Day Five

I wanted to hit a wall when my meditation cushions went missing. Me who doesn't even care when the cat takes over my bed pillow at home! (We spend eight hour plus meditationg) But that was nothing compared to the child whose regular tantrums preoccupied my mind. I keep wanting to leave but have to pull myself back. She (the child)  was the one who wanted to leave, my adult wanted to stay.

Day Six

I start to find some peace, I ate more slowly, because I could concentrate all my senses into tasting and savouring my food. My sight become clearer and I find myself marvelling at the brightness of the colours of a Red Admiral butterfly and a green beetle type creature.

Day Seven
Complete calm!

Day Eight

Feeling even calmer...

Day Nine
For me the biggest revelation was not the effect of sharpening up my senses but the obsession I have developed with the other retreaters, we shared the same dining tables, even rooms yet cannot even look each other in the eye. My curiousity became all consuming and deprived of information I end up making instant assumptions about them. some of them I'm now ashamed of. I even convinced myself they were all secretly talking when I wasn't around.

My dreams were something else too, when we compared notes on the final day I was not the only one who felt her brain had been training as a Hollywood script writer all week.  In one very memorable one a good me and a bad me had been fighting it out, think of the scene in Superman III when Clark Kent fights with his bad Kryptonite poisoned bad alter ego. The good me, appears to be my conscious mind, the bad me my subconscious.  I do not remember who won.

Day Ten

My return to the real i.e. all noisy, all senses-assaulting world, put me into a total state of panic. For four days afterwards I gabbled away to even more strangers than usual, the drycleaner gets an hour rather than 20 minutes and this time we discuss the European elections as well as the seam quality of Karen Millen and Reiss versus Top Shop and Oasis.

But as my experience starts to sink in, I start to take in Goenke's teachings. The aim of the vipassana is to help us overcome the cravings and aversions that make us unhappy. Like spending too much or even eating too much.

Against all odds I picked up a craving, to spend a few minutes a day in a quiet room with no interruption each day. But then wanting more silence in my life would be like wanting more hours in the day, somehow, however much I got, it would never be enough.

For information on 10 day and weekend silence and meditation retreats contact Dhamma Dipa farm on 01989 730234 or apply online at www.dipa.dhamma.org