Twilight Silent Mini Retreat - General RSVP

REGISTER INTEREST IN SUBSEQUENT EVENTS IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND IN AUGUST

Attending retreat is one of the most important aspects of our meditation practice. It provides for extended focused attention to our practice, which facillitates deepening into awareness and shedding of the layers that mask our true nature.

As the light fades, something in us naturally softens. Twilight has always been a threshold time in contemplative traditions, neither day nor night, neither doing nor resting. This mini-retreat is an invitation to sit in that threshold together, in silence, as the light goes down.

I will be honest. Sessions like this haven't always drawn a crowd, and I understand why. Silence can feel confronting when we are used to filling every moment with input. But I want to share why I believe this practice deserves a proper chance.

Contemplative traditions from Tibetan Buddhism onward have long used darkness deliberately, as a way of turning attention inward once the visual world stops giving it somewhere else to go. Andrew Holecek, a Tibetan Buddhist scholar-practitioner and teacher who has spent decades working with dark retreat, calls this kind of gentler practice a "gray retreat": weaving in and out of darkness rather than committing to a full, extended stay. He recommends this graduated approach as the wise way to begin, easing into darkness rather than diving straight into it. That is exactly the spirit of this evening.

We'll ease into low light and silence together, held in a safe and supported group container, with no need to achieve anything beyond simply being present as the light disappears.

If you've been curious about silent or dark practice but hesitant to commit to something intensive, this is the doorway. Come and see what the dark makes room for.

I will provide gentle guided mindfulness meditation practices and yoga nidra that are otherwise conducted in total silence to allow you to deepen into spacious awareness.

The next retreat is Sunday 16th August | 6 - 8 pm

TLHCo Studio, 1 Commercial Street, Maidstone

Who is this retreat for? Practitioners with solid meditation experience who are ready to take their practice to the next level.

When? Sunday 16th August 6:30 - 8:30

Where? TLCo. Studio. 1 Commercial Street, Maidstone.

Cushions and blankets are provided. Time will be provided afterwards for journalling, please bring a pen and journal if desired.

More details to follow upon booking.