TRAVEL
Q Why did you create a day of
silence on the retreats?
Q Who are the kind of people who
come on a retreat with 180 Retreats?
A We bring an international crowd.
This year’s retreat is represented with
participants from four different
countries so far. Our online program
represented ten countries. The staff at
180 Retreats spans across three
countries!
People who come for our retreats are
often at a turning point in their lives or
wanting to make a “180” change.
Sometimes it’s in their career or where
they live, or an important relationship
has changed or is changing.
Many people who come on our retreats
are looking to break cycles in their lives
that don’t work. They are adventurous
while also seeking peace of mind that
isn’t really found through most travel.
Oftentimes travel can be a distraction
from what isn’t working in life. At 180,
our programs take you on a journey in
the most beautiful destinations, but first
and foremost, that journey is within
each of us.
In terms of age, the average is in the 30s,
but we’ve had participants from age 21
into their 60s. It’s amazing to see how
well we can relate with each other, even
across decades of differences.
68 www.yogicherald.com March 2019
Q How much does Trekking &
Transformation: Everest Base Camp
Retreat cost?
A The Everest trip is $4,350 which
includes almost all expenses including
lodging, most meals, programming,
airfare and a private helicopter within
Nepal. What it doesn’t include is
international airfare, your travel
insurance and any personal expenses.
All participants receive a digital care
package, “Everest Within,” before and
after the retreat to support the journey.
This includes hours of meditation
audio, journaling prompts and
worksheets, pranayama videos and
fitness suggestions.
A Researchers say that we have the
same 50,000 - 70,000 thoughts swirling
in our heads each day. I surmise that
because of the constant distractions we
encounter, particularly from social
pressures to connect or in trying to
please others, we never get to sort
through the thoughts. I think this is part
of the reason why they recycle
themselves day after day. I think we lose
ground from ourselves when we try to
be something for another, not realizing
that our own inner compass is the most
relevant one to follow.
In silence, which means refraining from
engaging with others in any way,
including eye contact, there becomes a
place of resting within the self. You have
the freedom to be exactly as you are. If
ever you might go out trying to be
something that you’re not, it’s an
exhausting way to be. Time in silence
around others in silence, I’ve found, can
recalibrate us. We get to be who we are
without validating it, expecting validation,
needing to give validation. It’s just pure.
On the Annapurna retreat, we planned to
do this practice for half a day. After 15
minutes, one participant had felt so
deeply that she was in tears of joy. At the
half-day point, I privately polled the
group to learn that 100% of them wanted
to continue the day in silence. None of
them had practiced silence before and
all of them asked for more! It’s powerful!