Three days is enough for something rare to happen: the speed of your mind drops for the first time in years. You arrive, settle, and on the first night the place goes quiet around a fire. The next day is gentle silence, breath and body. On the third morning you watch your thoughts like clouds, and at noon the silence breaks, softly. Most people say this is where it really begins.
The journey.
Arrive and settle
Meet the group, learn why the mind runs so fast, walk the grounds, sit at sunset. At night, around the fire, the silence begins.
Breath and body
A sunrise sitting, the science of how the body holds stress, breath practice, a body scan, music in silence at night.
Watching the mind
You are not your thoughts: learning to watch them pass. At noon the silence ends, then a letter to yourself and a plan for home.
How a day feels.
You wake with the bell, not an alarm, and sit outside as the sky turns light. After gentle yoga and a quiet breakfast, Safdar Sahar talks about the day’s theme, and then you practise it. Afternoons are slow: rest, a walk, a body scan, a cup of herbal tea with your notebook. Every day ends with your questions answered, a sunset, and an evening that is different each night.
What you’ll do
For you if
- You want your first proper retreat
- Your mind never switches off
- You have done the 1-Day First Light
- You can give a weekend
Not for you if
- You are looking for a holiday or a social weekend
- You cannot be without your phone for two days
Included
Stay · All meals and herbal tea · Every session · A welcome kit (retreat notebook, pen, water bottle) · 21 days of WhatsApp practice after you leave · A monthly online sitting with past participants
Silence and the few rules
Phones are handed in on arrival. Be in the hall before the bell. Keep the colour of the day. No intoxicants. Please do not pick or eat anything growing at the place. If anything feels wrong, write a note or come to the reception.
Talk freely. The first day, the last day, the circles.
Quiet, but a soft word when you need something.
Full silence. Even a nod can wait.
In every colour you can ask the teacher your questions in the daily dialogue, or write a note. Help is always one step away.
What to bring
Please bring your own personal things. We provide the stay, the food and everything for the practice.
Always
- Loose, comfortable clothes for sitting and yoga
- Comfortable shoes and slippers
- Your own medicines, with a note of the doses
- Toothbrush, toiletries and a towel
- A small torch for the paths at night
- A yoga mat or your own cushion, if you have one
Winter
- A warm shawl or blanket wrap for the sittings
- A jacket or sweater
- Warm socks and a cap
- Thermal innerwear for the early mornings
- Lip balm and moisturiser
- A hot-water bottle, if you feel the cold
Summer
- Light cotton clothes
- A cap or hat
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellent
- A small hand towel
- Sunglasses for the outdoor sittings
Leave at home
- Books and laptops
- Valuables and jewellery
- Anything you will miss your phone for
Health notice
Meditation is not medical or psychological treatment. If you live with a serious physical or mental health condition, are pregnant, or take regular medicine, please talk to your doctor before booking and tell us on the health form. Do not stop any medicine for the retreat. Read the full notice
After you leave
For 21 days you get a short practice on WhatsApp each morning. Once a month you can sit online with everyone who has come before. And three months later, a letter arrives: the one you wrote to yourself.
Want it to stay? The 5-Day Clear Sky turns practice into a habit.