Silent Meditation Retreats
Silent meditation retreats last for a week and involve intense concentration and no talking, which can be quite difficult for some to maintain. The payoff is that you can achieve a high level of enlightenment in that short time, as well as deep and lasting rewards. The Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA offers these retreats, and teachers here say that as satisfying as the meditation high can be, there are no short cuts to the benefits of tough and prolonged practice.
However, a silent meditation retreat can be a great inspiration for people to keep up the practice upon returning home. Some participants say that the experience gives them a whole new outlook and appreciation of the simple things in their every day lives, and it is hard to put a price on that.