This book provides a straightforward, accessible guide to going on a silent meditation retreat.

Written by experienced retreat facilitators, this book presents a mix of Buddhist wisdom, insights from modern psychology and mindfulness research and personal accounts from meditators who have attended retreats with them in the last 30 years. The chapters provide advice on preparing for the retreat, such as booking and what to pack, and offer practical day-to-day guidance about how to sit whilst being kind to knee, back or other physical issues. There is detailed information about how to work compassionately with the difficult thoughts or emotions and other challenges participants typically encounter on this kind of more intensive meditation programme, as well as how to cultivate joy, gratitude, compassion and balance. The focus is on in-person retreats, but this book also offers some guidance for teaching and participating in online home retreats, a new development which has emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns.

This book is an invaluable resource for anyone considering going on a silent meditation retreat to step out of the often frantic and overwhelming round of day-to-day activity and find space for reflection. It will also be of use to mindfulness teachers or trainees who are required to go on retreat for qualification purposes and to current or trainee retreat facilitators.

Going on a Meditation Retreat: Embracing Silence to Cultivate Mindfulness and Compassion; Frits Koster, Jetty Heynekamp, and Victoria Norton; Routledge; Paperback; 188 pages; $34.99

Frits Koster lived as a Buddhist monk in Asia for six years. He is a qualified MBSR, MBCL and IMP teacher and teaches mindfulness and compassion internationally. He is the co-author of various books (Silkworm Books and Routledge).

Jetty Heynekamp is a qualified physiotherapist who has been practising insight meditation since 1982. She is a certified mindfulness teacher and leads meditation retreats and communication workshops.

Victoria Norton is a certified mindfulness teacher whose professional background is in teaching and communications management.