“When our head is clear our natural wisdom emerges so that we can take care of ourselves.” Silvia Boorstein
Imagine a day where there is nothing on your to-do list. You are sitting at a table in the dining room of a wooded retreat center with a cup of tea in your hand. The silence is punctuated by bird song and trees blowing in the breeze. You gaze out of the picture window where chickadees and nuthatches flutter around the feeders. Although there may be other people around, all is quiet.
You have committed this time to self-care, which includes not having to spend energy taking care of others. Someone else is preparing the meal, and for the first time since you can remember, you have time to simply be still. You can actually feel your head starting to decompress, to settle, to get clear.
This describes my first experience at the retreat center in New Ipswich in the early 1990s. I scheduled a day-long personal retreat because my life seemed out of control with too much going on, too much stress. It turned out to be the greatest gift I could have given myself. After a day of silent nurturing by the Sisters, I left feeling soothed and refreshed, and more in touch with my inner resources that I had been in years.
I’D LIKE TO OFFER THIS SAME OPPORTUNITY TO YOU through local, affordable, single-day and overnight retreats. Some retreats are themed and include more teaching and small and large group discussions to facilitate sharing and receiving of wisdom between peers. In these cases, only portions of the day are in silence. All retreats include formal mindful meditative practices such as sitting, eating, and/or walking.
Benefits
In these retreats you will:
- unplug from the stress of daily life in a peaceful, nurturing environment
- replenish energy through deep rest and quiet contemplation
- recognize patterns of runaway thinking and learn ways to stabilize reactive mind states
- experience insights in a supportive group setting
“The retreats remind me that pausing in some mindful way in the midst of everyday busyness pays off for my mental, emotional, and physical well being. I discovered that the simple practice of a focused deep breath actually reset my nervous system. “ Lindy H.
Daily Activities
Daily activities include:
- Sitting meditation on chairs or on floor
- Walking meditation and/or mindful movement
- Personal time for journaling, contemplation, additional exercise
Here’s a sample of what your day-long retreat would look like. *
| 9:00am | Registration and retreat center tour |
| 9:30am | Morning program: mindfulness teaching, sitting, walking, and body stretches/movement |
| 12:30pm | Home-cooked lunch and contemplative time |
| 2:00pm | Afternoon program: sitting, movement, journaling |
| 3:30pm | Breaking silence, small and large group discussion, closing |
| 4:30pm | End of retreat |
If you decide on an overnight retreat, here’s what else is included:
| Saturday evening meal | |
| 7:30pm | Saturday evening program |
| Sunday | |
| 7:00am | Self-serve breakfast |
| 9:00am | Morning meditation program, breaking silence, discussion, closing |
| Noon | Full home-cooked lunch |
* schedule subject to change
Why Silence?
The retreats are often silent because in order to clear the mind, we need to turn off the noise that distracts us — media, family, work, road racket — so that we can hear our inner voice. As your instructor, I provide a full spoken orientation at the beginning of the retreat and clear instructions and verbal guidance throughout. There are specific times for retreatants to check in and ask questions.
“I was amazed at what a relief it was not to have to talk. It was so much easier than I’d imagined.” 1st time retreatant
Most meals are silent so that eating, rather than socializing, becomes the primary focus.
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Fees
For about the same price of a 90 minute massage, you can experience a full day of restorative mindful practice and learn how to take the practices home with you.
A single day retreat package fee including a full day of instruction, home-cooked meal, handouts = $90.
In some of the well-known retreat centers around New England, you would spend $300+ on a weekend retreat.
This overnight retreat package: 1½ days of mindfulness instructions, 4 meals, single room accommodations, early morning yoga, handouts = $150.
Refund Policy
Your satisfaction is important to me. I offer a money-back guarantee if you don’t feel more relaxed and peaceful by the end of the retreat.
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Site
The New Ipswich, NH retreat house offers comfortable, private rooms with shared baths. It is located in a beautiful, rural setting and has a labyrinth and paths for outdoor explorations along with an on-site chapel, a home-like living room and tranquil dining room. This is a Catholic Retreat Center that hosts a variety of religious and non-religious programs.
It is located about 20 minutes from Peterborough, 30 minutes from Milford, and 50 minutes from Nashua, NH.