Silent Meditation Retreat, March 9–14, 2027

What does silence mean in meditation?

Silence in the meditative sense does not mean a lack of sound. It means a state of consciousness in which we are not carried away by external phenomena or by the stories and emotional experiences of the mind, but are able to remain aware in the midst of all experience and not to identify or “drown” in our experiences. Silence is our own essence, which we can experience when the perceptions of our minds do not capture our attention, but allow us to remain “in the middle” of ourselves in a state of awareness.

Finding the Silent Being

The aim of meditation is to help us recognize the Silent Being and Observer within ourselves, who sees and experiences without losing itself in what it sees and experiences. This does not mean that we push our experience aside or that we cannot also enjoy our experience and life. The Silent Being is essentially who we are permanently. Instead, everything else about us is ever-changing: our experiences, thoughts, feelings and physical being are in constant motion and change. By gradually recognising, through practice, the Silent Being that always rests in stillness, we learn to relate to our lives without attachment or resistance. By recognising our own abiding Self in the midst of all that is temporary and ever-changing, we dare to love and live more deeply and let go of various addictions and limitations of the mind. The Silent Being – the Spiritual Heart – is the Consciousness-Love within us that is who I Am.

Retreat program and practical information

A five-day retreat allows for a longer and deeper immersion into ourselves and the presence of our hearts than weekend retreats do. The retreat alternates between sitting meditations (about 40–60 min), walking meditations (about 20–30 min), and short yoga exercises. The meditations include both guided and completely silent sessions. We also spend most of our time in external silence (without speaking), which strengthens our ability to remain mindful, quiets the mind’s chatter, and creates space for various emotional states to rise into our awareness, where they can be released and transformed. Silence is deeply nurturing and healing, especially when we practice maintaining an attitude of acceptance and compassion toward ourselves and others—a focus of the retreat. The retreat also includes teaching sessions that support and inspire meditation practice and mindfulness. Retreat participants also have the opportunity to speak privately with the teachers and receive guidance and support related to the retreat.

Registration and price

Time: We’ll start on Tuesday, March 9, at 7:00 p.m., and wrap up on Sunday, March 14, at 4:00 p.m. On other days, the program runs from morning (around 7:30 a.m.) until evening (around 8:00–9:00 p.m.), including meal and rest breaks. A more detailed program, schedule, and times for meals and breaks will be announced separately during the retreat. Participants are expected to attend the entire retreat, as it is a journey both as an individual and as a group.

Place: Heartland – The Place of Silence, Illintie 51, Pahtaja, Rovaniemi.

Price: 215 euros/185 euros (incl. 25.5% VAT) Unemployed and students with no income other than basic unemployment allowance or study allowance. For those coming from more than 400 km, the price is €185. The price includes accommodation in a bed or on a mattress (bed places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis unless you indicate that a mattress is just as suitable). Please bring your own sheets and towel.

Registration:
[email protected] preferably by 1.3. Note: Maximum number of participants 12.

Meals:
For lunch we prepare a shared salad with warm side dishes and for dinner a vegetable soup. Bring salad and soup ingredients (including a vegetable protein of your choice) for five days. Bring your own picnic for Tuesday evening. Bring your own breads and spreads. Heartland will provide coffee and tea and coffee milk (bring your own specialities e.g. cream, oatmilk etc.). In the morning we serve breakfast porridge. Bring your own toppings for the porridge, e.g. berries, fruit, nuts, etc.

Teachers

Teachers Leena and Hans Christian Hansen have been dedicated to the study of spiritual traditions, yoga, meditation and spiritual living for over twenty years. They have both taught in the late Asger Lorentsen’s trainings and run their own courses and retreats for over fifteen years. Currently Leena and Hans Christian are students of the American spiritual teacher Mark Sullivan and the Indian teacher Sri M. (Sri M is a disciple of the legendary Himalayan spiritual teacher Sri Guru Babaji). Both teachers support the Bodhisattva School and other Heartland trainings. The training is essentially not about the knowledge or vision of individual teachers, but about a broader impulse from multiple spiritual traditions and masters. The course is not an invitation to follow any one teacher or spiritual tradition, but rather to provide a rich and practical daily experience of finding one’s own inner connection to one’s own inner spiritual home through sustained practice. The languages of instruction are Finnish and English, translated into Finnish if necessary.

You are warmly welcome to our trainings and retreats, if your heart is in it! Feel free to pass on information about them.