The day of silence was the day I was looking forward to the most during my five-day stay at the peaceful One World Retreats near the Town of Ubud in Indonesia. I’ve always found it interesting how uncomfortable most people are with silence, talking about nothing just to fill the air with noise. But as a writer, silence has always been something I’ve welcomed to collect my thoughts.
“It’s time to contemplate because I believe when we are in silence, we listen more,” said Iyan Yaspriyana, who’s been teaching yoga and meditation at One World since 2007. The day of silence is also practiced by the Balinese people once a year. On this day the whole island stops.
“Silence, for me, is the day for freedom - freedom from any task, any
responsibility to other people. You don’t need to do a thing people
normally do. It’s a day for the self completely.”A bustling little tourist town located in East Bali, I came to Ubud to further my yoga skills, learn meditation and take a time out from life. Chalked full of shops selling massages, yoga clothing, art, and every trinket known to man, Ubud has become one of southeast Asia’s yoga hotspots, attracting people from around the globe in search of serenity in a tropical paradise teaming with unique culture.
Outside my room at the retreat centre, butterflies lightly flutter through a lush, green forest encompassed by lanky palm trees gently swaying in the breeze. A never ending chorus of chirping birds fills the air with delightful melodies, making it easy to clear my mind from the constant string of thoughts swirling through my head during meditation. Escaping the world is easy at a place like this, especially on a day of silence.
I was interested to see how 14 women could go an entire day without talking. Many of them took off to various areas of the retreat centre to be alone, but a handful gathered around the pool to lie in the hot sun. I was among this crowd.
Our silence was over the next morning once we finished two hours of yoga and meditation as the sun rose over the active volcano, Mount Batur. The endless chatter that erupted during breakfast was deafening, with everyone anxious to spill their thoughts over the last 24 hours.
One girl slept the day away while another decided to get her first tattoo. Much to my surprise, I shed a few tears over a failed relationship.
“It was extremely enlightening,” said Stephen Roberts, who struggled with not checking his cell phone for the first three hours of the day. The 51-year-old from San Francisco eventually embraced the silence once he put his cell phone at the bottom of his suitcase.
“I really found there was some peace and ease in the rest of the day,” he said. “It really was lovely.”
If you go: Since 2003, One World Retreats has been offering personal and group journeys, offering a wide variety of retreats ranging from adventure and cultural experiences to discovering the hidden passions within. For more information visit www.oneworldretreats.com.
- published by Sun Media, May 2015