Let me congratulate you for giving yourself the opportunity to experience the stillness that this retreat will bring to you. Even though I will briefly go over the guidelines I am describing on this page at the beginning of the retreat on Saturday morning, I recommend reading the guidelines in advance.
During this silent meditation retreat, you will give yourself the gift of a serenity pause, where you can step out of the busyness of the day and go within.
Our retreat will include silent and guided meditations to help us calm our busy minds, mindful eating, teachings about the practice of mindfulness, walking meditation, quiet time in nature, and time for questions.
This retreat offers an opportunity for practicing mindfulness and meditation to see the ways in which you may be creating unnecessary worries and challenges in your life. You will be able to observe your mind, and connect to your heart’s deepest desires. You may discover a way to be in harmony with the realities of life while bringing loving kindness and self-compassion to your experience through guided meditations.
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What is a Retreat Like?
First of all, let me applaud your decision to enter an extended period of silence in community. It is a 
powerful commitment to yourself, your practice, and your life. In order to make the most of this precious time, it may be useful to know what you might find once you are on retreat.
Participants come to retreat with different levels of experience. For the majority, this is their first retreat and maybe very new to mindfulness practice. Some are veteran meditators, and others are somewhere in between. You are never alone.
It might also be helpful to recognize that, while on the outside everyone might appear calm and serene, many participants may be deeply lost in thought, or encountering challenging emotions. However, know that you will be among warm and kind people, each of whom has a private reason to attend this retreat, just as you do, and that each is searching for more happiness, peace, and freedom in their lives. Becoming aware that you have all chosen to do this together can often help you to feel more connected, and less alone in the silence.
When attending any meditation retreat I recommend you come with absolutely no expectations at all. Welcome whatever might present itself with as much kindness as you can, whether it’s an experience that might arise within you, an interaction with another participant, or circumstances you might find yourself in.
With this in mind, below you will find some suggestions that might serve as guides as you navigate your way through our silent retreat.
Noble Silence
We encourage participants to maintain silence from after the orientation at around 11:00 am to the end of the retreat at 4:00 pm. In this silent and mindful environment, awareness sharpens, the body calms down, the mind unclutters, and space opens for clear seeing and understanding to develop. As we have no distractions, we cannot hide from ourselves, so self-knowledge and understanding may grow. We may discover that we always have a choice to live each moment either with inattention, fear and judgment or with clarity, kindness and wakefulness. This silent retreat will help us deepen our awareness, and will provide us the opportunity to explore our path to inner freedom, joy and a peaceful heart.
This retreat offers you the rare period of quiet time, a time to give your senses a rest so that you can spend precious time in communication with your own mind and heart. When you agree to honor the practice of Noble Silence, you are not only doing this for yourself, but for all the others who have signed up for the same privilege.
However, Noble Silence is not only about being quiet. Among other things, it involves bringing an intention of silence to all your experiences, and consciously eliminating distractions so that you can better focus on the present moment and attend to whatever experience is arising.
Why do we practice Noble Silence?
First, let’s go over what we are NOT doing: we do not practice silence in an attempt to reach some advanced or ideal “state,” or to become better or perfect meditators. These ideas may cause excessive stress and frustration. Sometimes, it can be helpful to smile at yourself or apply a bit of humor to your practice whenever you find yourself creating a kind of pumped-up identity that says things like, “Look at me! I’m a meditator! I’m so spiritual!” Or, conversely, when you are believing you are a “terrible meditator” because you can’t seem to reach a state of blissful enlightenment after a few hours in silence.
Something else we are NOT doing is trying to clear our minds of all thought, or to solve some big problem that we have been struggling with either presently or in the past. Some of these issues will likely arise as you practice on retreat, but, if you can arrive and practice without expectation, with an open, curious mind, you will actually receive the best results.
This is the reason why we are practicing Nobel Silence: Meditating in silence for an extended period is often referred to as practicing “The art of no escape,” meaning that, during a retreat, you cannot fall back on your habitual ways of turning away from troubling thoughts and emotions. Whenever you encounter something unpleasant, you cannot automatically pick up your cell phone, use social media, get busy, read a book or a magazine, call a friend, or indulge in your favorite food.
What we may experience while on retreat is not automatically a state of calm, peaceful bliss – although this can happen too – but a whole range of sensations, thoughts, and emotions, some of which may have not been previously in consciousness. While there are many ways to work with these states, knowing that this can happen beforehand can help “normalize” the experience when and if it happens.
The most important thing to remember is to hold whatever you experience on retreat with loving kindness and self-compassion.
Ways in which you can honor Noble Silence
on retreat
1. Refrain from eye contact with others. Many may find this recommendation difficult, especially since it seems to contradict normal polite behavior! It might be helpful to know that it is not meant as a hard and fast “rule;” smiles happen, it’s really OK! This instruction is offered to help both you and others enter more deeply into practice together. This is a rare time for you to allow yourself to remove the social mask, which takes so much energy to maintain. We also do this because eye contact is a way of communication, and often what is being expressed can cause small or even great distraction from your own inner practice. If you look closer, you may even discover that what you are looking for when you are attempting to communicate with the eyes is an affirmation from others that “all is well.”
If you find this practice challenging, one recommendation is that you look at people’s feet. If you find yourself feeling pressure from those who seem to want to make eye contact, remember that not engaging with them is a gift to you and to them. We are all doing this practice for one another, honoring our own individual process. Sometimes you may be feeling blissful while others are in pain, and the other way around. Keeping our focus within will help us be in better contact to what we are experiencing.
- Keep verbal silence. Even if the urge to speak is strong, make a mindful effort to hold the silence by not whispering to another participant, commenting, asking a question, or writing them a note when the temptation to communicate is strong. If the need feels urgent, you might practice asking yourself: Is what I want to ask truly necessary? Would it be okay if I didn’t ask or say what I want? What is my reason for asking or saying this? Allow yourself to feel the urge without action on it. During the retreat, the teacher will gently guide yogis in ways to begin talking with one another during the last hour or so of the retreat.
- Maintain physical silence.This means not communicating through your expressions, or body language. Silent miming is still communicating! It also means refraining from physically touching or comforting someone if they seem upset. All yogis, including you, can ask for the
support of the teacher and managers through written notes so it may be a relief to know that there is really no need for yogis to communicate or take care of one another. - Refrain from reading or internet use. Since our goal is to get in touch with our own bodies, emotions, and thoughts, listening to and/or reading the words of others or even your own especially via email or phone communication is a serious distraction that will take you away from your direct experience. You may use your journal to reflect on the experiences you are having. However, this can be tricky, as writing in a journal may lead you to discursive and conceptual thinking. One of the goals of retreat is to quiet the voices of your mind and become more open to non-conceptual understanding. Writing down your experiences in a journal may sometimes work against this. Nonetheless, when you bring awareness to your experience, you may use this practice of reflection as a meditation, witnessing how your experience on retreat is unfolding.
- Be mindful of the ways you close doors.However, if you happen to close a door too hard and it is noisy, do not judge yourself. Always, above all, be gentle and kind to yourself.
When is Noble Silence broken?
If you have questions during the day, you will be able to schedule an individual 15 minute session with Monica. Just make sure you schedule a time. You can do that in advance by sending an email to Monica or by scheduling your time at the entrance of the sanctuary where the schedule will be.
A few minutes before 4:00 pm, Monica will ring the bells to invite everyone to go back to the sanctuary. Noble Silence will be broken then and we will have a sharing time and a period for Q&A. After that, you will be invited to join a 30-minute Qigong introductory class of very gentle movements. This is a bonus class and it is optional.
Why is this Qigong class offered?
Qigong is a valuable support and complement to mindfulness meditation. Xandria Strauel, our Dragon’s Way Qigong certified teacher, follows the practices of Grand Master Lu, who is the Founding 
Director and President of the Tao of Healing as well as the Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation, the country’s foremost educational organization for traditional Chinese medicine.
In this Qigong class, Xan will introduce you to movements that awaken your energy gates connecting you to universal energy helping you to achieve balance. Eliminating Qi stagnation in your meridians will help your body, mind, and spirit function in harmony. These Qigong practices release spinal stagnation and open a profound circulation of energy. Qigong and meditation bring a bright wakefulness and concentrated, embodied presence that help us discover who we are beyond our stories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I go when I arrive?
You will first check in at the entrance of Unity by the Bay. After that, you will join us in the sanctuary where we will meet at 10:00 am.
Where should I park?
There is plenty of parking spaces available both for people with special needs and regular spots in the front of the building in the gravel parking lot and in the back.
What seating options are available?
We have chairs available for everyone. If you have your own meditation cushion or bench that you prefer to use, bring it with you. If you need a special seat due to a medical condition call Monica at 410-271-1731.
Is your facility wheelchair accessible?
Yes. Please let Monica know if you will arrive in a wheelchair so we can save an easily accessible space for you in the sanctuary. You may call me at 410-271-1731.
What to wear to the retreat? Wear comfortable clothing. Be mindful of the “sound” of your clothing and try to wear clothing that does not make sound.
What should I bring?
1. Please bring a lunch and a snack for yourself that does not need to be refrigerated or microwaved. Write your name on the lunch bag. Some healthy snacks will be provided such as some fruit, vegetables, dip, crackers and cheese.
2. Hot water, tea and filtered water are available.
3. Bring a water bottle, as well as a mug for tea and whatever utensils you need for lunch. Bringing these items from home helps reduce our trash output and our impact on the Earth.
4. If you want to remove your shoes before entering the sanctuary, you can do so. We recommend you wear or bring socks.
5. Wear layered clothing or bring a coat so you are comfortable inside and you can walk outside if you want to.
6. Journals and pens will be distributed to everybody so you can write down your reflections. You can also bring your favorite journal if you prefer.
What should I NOT bring?
1. We encourage you to lock your car and keep valuables with you. Do not bring anything you won’t need for the day.
2. Please, leave your cell phone/ iPad at home or in the car.
3. Please leave your pets at home. If you have a trained therapy dog who assists you with a physical challenge, please let me know at 410-271-1731.
4. To be considerate to all participants, do not wear scented personal care products -including “natural” products.
What is Mindful Eating?
At lunch time, we will all eat our lunches together. I will guide the group in a mindful eating meditation. We will eat our food in an unhurried way, that is, chewing slowly, placing our fork down between bites and noticing everything about our food: the smell, taste, color, texture.
We will also bring gratitude during meals by mindfully acknowledging where the food came from: the earth, sun, wind, and air that nurtured it, the people who planted, harvested, and packaged it, the people who transported it, bought it, and prepared it for us.
We can also ask ourselves things like: Can I wait to eat while everybody is ready to start and quietly watch my breath or my hunger without ruminating? Can I give others space as they’re taking their lunch out? Can I be with others without judging them? Can I notice my reactions to the food I will be eating or about my relationship to food in general? Just like in other moments in our life, we will feel urges. Feel them, notice them in your body but do not act on them.
What body sensations will I experience?
It is normal for the body to relax in such a silent environment and to experience sleepiness. Not always but sometimes, if you have been experiencing some discomfort, the pain may intensify in retreat only because you are not engaging in your usual habits of distraction so you may be more aware of the pain. If that is the case, do not resist or fight what you are feeling or berate yourself for feeling these discomforts. Allow these sensations to be there, observe them and become curious about them: “Oh, this is what pain in my low back feels like … stinging, stabbing, moments of heat …” or, “I notice the sleepiness tends to come and go in waves of heaviness like a fog …” At the same time, feel free to take care of yourself by adjusting your posture or even taking a nap if you need. If you feel sleepy, listen to your body. It may be telling you that you are very tired.
What is Walking Meditation?
You will have the opportunity to walk the beautiful grounds at Unity including the labyrinth. Monica will guide you on how to do walking meditation in the introduction to the retreat. Walking 
meditation is an integral part of the formal practice of meditation. You will bring mindful awareness to the sensations you feel in your body as you walk. It is a wonderful practice which helps you bring mindfulness to all your body, experiencing the whole of your life through all your wonderful senses.
What if someone wants to get in touch with me because of an emergency?
In case of emergencies, people can reach you at # 410-271-1731. The message will immediately be delivered to you.
What will be the Schedule for the Day?
9:50 am – Checking in
10:00 am – Introductions – Orientation – Dharma Talk & Guided Meditation in the Sanctuary. Noble Silence will start after the last meditation.
11:30 am – Free Time for Reflection and Contemplation, or walking on the grounds or in the labyrinth.
1:00 pm – Lunch Together in the Hospitality Area – Mindful Eating
1:45 pm – Gathering in the Sanctuary for Dharma Talk, Guided Meditation & Q&A
2:30 pm – Free Time for Reflection and Contemplation
4:00 pm – Gathering in the Sanctuary for Q&A Period, Sharing Reflexions & Final Guided Meditation
4:45 pm – Qigong Class – Optional
What should I expect after the retreat?
As the retreat is winding down, you might notice that your mind has shifted from thoughts about “How will I ever get through almost seven hours of silence!” to something along the lines of “Why do I need to leave and go back into the real world!” This is common, and I will give you suggestions about how to ease back into this “real” world.
One of the recommendations is that, just like at the beginning of this daylong retreat, you have no expectation or preconceived ideas of what you will feel after retreat but instead be curious, open and accepting of whatever experience you may be having. Simply allow the process to unfold naturally, holding all that arises with an abundance of kindness.
Perhaps the most important instruction is to be extremely gentle and tender with yourself, since most of us tend to be unaware of how slowed down and calm we have become during retreat. Just getting into your car and driving can often seem too much, especially if this involves heavy traffic, music, or conversation. See if you can allow the inside of your car to be silent, drive slowly, and let the conversation (especially in your own head) become calmer.
Going back to a noisy environment maybe challenging. You may miss the quiet atmosphere of the retreat. It is recommended not to dive into your email box or checking social media or the news right away. Try to arrange some extra quiet time into your after-retreat schedule, away from videos, television, parties, or social obligations.
I’m not from this area, can you recommend a place to stay?
If you are out of town and you’d like to stay overnight in beautiful Annapolis, there are many wonderful historical inns, bed & breakfast and hotels
Enjoy the gift of silence you are giving to yourself by participating in this retreat!!
