• Table of Contents
  • Sources of Energy by Swami Veda Bharati
  • Universal Brotherhood by Swami Rama
  • AHYMSIN Budapest by Frankó Csuba Dea
  • AHYMSIN Minneapolis by Daniel Hertz
  • Virtual Silence Retreat by Lori Beron
  • Appreciation for All Living Beings by Wolfgang Bischoff
  • Dear Yoga Mentor, My Question Is
  • 2020 Events and Beyond
  • Full Moon Meditation Dates
  • Location of our SRSG ashram
• AHYMSIN Newsletter Archive

Virtual Silence Retreat

by Lori Beron

The Meditation Center’s Annual Silence Retreat went Virtual this year!

On August 14th to 18th, 2020, The Meditation Center hosted their first virtual silence retreat. Swami Radha Bharati and Jim Nelson guided the subtle body practices and meditations, and Diane Seeley guided the hatha practices. Emilio Bettaglio monitored the technical Zoom issues and facilitated the chat question and comments sessions. Phyllis Vargas registered people from around the globe and provided links to the Zoom sessions and handouts of the practices so that if participants missed a session, they could view at their convenience. We are so grateful to each of them!

There were approximately 34 participants, most from the USA but also from Japan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Canada, and Holland.

Day 1 had not only technical issues but also severe weather; tornado sirens alerted Minneapolis to take cover so that one session took place in the basement of the Meditation Center. The following days of the retreat provided clear weather and technology, the audio and visuals were perfect, making for a lovely seamless silence retreat.

The comments at the end of the retreat were incredibly positive, expressing gratitude to the teachers and facilitators. It’s amazing how we “linked up” and felt the meditational field even though we were physically separate. Participants overwhelmingly expressed an interest in more virtual retreats! Stay tuned as we are hoping to offer these retreats quarterly throughout the year.

Editor’s Note:

Videos from some sessions during the Silence Retreat can be seen at The Meditation Center channel at Vimeo.