Five day meditation retreat - 14-18 September 2026
Booking: Prices include all retreat resources, accommodation and meals. Standard rooms have a bathroom shared between a maximum of four rooms:
Retreat and accommodation in an ensuite room (£550)
Retreat and accommodation in a standard room with shared bathroom (£470)
“We are built for contemplation… Communion with God in the silence of the heart is a God-given capacity, like the rhododendron’s capacity to flower, the fledglings for flight, and the child’s for self-forgetful abandon and joy.”
With these words, Martin Laird begins his classic book Into the Silent Land: The Practice of Contemplation – widely recognised as one of the best introductions to meditation in the Christian tradition written in generations. He brings together an engaging introduction to the Christian contemplative tradition for people inside or on the margins of the churches who feel drawn to the world of silent prayer.
Martin Laird shows how silence and meditation can offer a remedy to many contemporary dilemmas and emotional struggles. Writing with great clarity, poetic depth and authority, Laird examines central meditative methods and traditions found within contemplative prayer. Exploring the role of breath in the spiritual life and the nature of awareness – so often associated in the minds of many with other spiritual traditions – he shows that this is also an ancient concern of Christian thinkers.
How do we enter the “Silent Land” of Divine presence? “By the silence of surrender,” says Laird: “The contemplative discipline of meditation…is not a technique but a surrendering of deeply held resistances that allows the sacred within to gradually reveal itself as a simple, fundamental fact.”
“The more we realise we are one with God the more we become ourselves, just as we are, just as we were created to be. The Creator is outpouring love, the creation, the love outpoured.”
In this experiential retreat, we will explore the essential skills and wisdom of the art of meditation as set out in ‘Into the Silent Land’, including:
- Cultivating gentle concentration (attentiveness) and the opening of awareness
- The subtle challenges of stilling the mind and the interior skills to meet them
- How our deepening silence reveals “the overflowing vastness” of our deepest identity in God
- Becoming windows of light and places of peace for the world
How do we enter the “Silent Land” of Divine presence?
“By the silence of surrender,” says Laird: “The contemplative discipline of meditation…is not a technique but a surrendering of deeply held resistances that allows the sacred within to gradually reveal itself as a simple, fundamental fact.”
“The more we realise we are one with God the more we become ourselves, just as we are, just as we were created to be. The Creator is outpouring love, the creation, the love outpoured.”
In this unique experiential retreat, we will explore the essential skills and wisdom of the art of meditation as set out in ‘Into the Silent Land’, including:
- cultivating gentle concentration (attentiveness) and the opening of awareness
- the subtle challenges of stilling the mind and the interior skills to meet them
- how our deepening silence reveals “the overflowing vastness” of our deepest identity in God
- becoming windows of light and places of peace for the world
Who is this for?
Into the Silent Land offers profound insights for the student of silent prayer but is especially intended for the non-specialist who feels drawn to discover the deep wisdom of the Christian contemplative tradition. It has been carefully crafted to be relevant and accessible to anyone searching for truth and peace, regardless of their faith, beliefs or previous experience of meditation.
What to expect
The focus of the retreat is silent meditation practice and we will practice bringing loving-awareness to all our daily activities – while sitting, while walking or eating, when we are simply enjoying a glass of water. We will practice living each moment deeply.
As this is largely a silent retreat, the practice of silence will commence when the retreat begins and continue until just before lunchtime on the Friday, except during whole group and small group structured conversation times.
Although the practice of silence may be new to some, most people find stepping back from conversation and distraction, a powerful experience. Maintaining a peaceful environment – walking, moving, and doing things quietly – is important for our practice and a gift we can offer to each other.
The retreat timetable includes periods of private practice time for sitting and walking meditation. Some people find it helpful to bring a craft activity to accompany times of private sitting meditation.
Practical Information
The retreat will start at 14:00 on the Monday and finish at 15:00 on the Friday, and will involve extended periods of meditation practice and silence. Each full day of the retreat will include:
- 06:30 Sitting meditation & walking meditation
- 08:00 Breakfast in silence
- 09:00 Talk and group sitting meditation
- 10:30 Private practice time / small group conversation
- 12:30 Group sitting meditation
- 13:00 Lunch in silence
- 14:00 Private practice time / small group conversation
- 17:00 Group sitting meditation
- 18:00 Dinner in silence
- 19:00 Talk
- 20:00 Group conversation
- 21:00 Retire in silence
Early morning practice is a wonderful way to greet the day together. While we very much encourage everyone to attend the 06:30am practice session, if this is difficult for you for any reason please don’t worry. It is always enough to do what we can – or what our life allows.
Venue, accommodation, meals and costs
Ripon College Cuddesdon is a beautiful and peaceful venue, nestled in the Oxfordshire countryside just a few miles from the city of Oxford. Surrounded by open fields and ancient trees, it offers a quiet and spacious setting ideal for stillness, reflection, and spiritual renewal. Prices include all retreat resources, accommodation and meals.
Event Leader
Chris Whittington is the Founder of The School of Contemplative Life. He was introduced to contemplative practice during several years of formation when he lived at the Benedictine monastery of Prinknash Abbey in England. Chris’ monastic teachers taught meditation as a universal wisdom found within all the great spiritual traditions, a pathway to peace and solidarity with people of all faiths and none. Following an introduction by the Abbot of the Prinknash community, Chris subsequently studied at the Dalai Lama’s monastery in Dharamsala, India.
Chris regularly delivers talks, workshops and retreats and has introduced the practice of meditation in the Christian tradition to thousands of people in the UK and abroad. He is known for his ability to communicate the subtleties of the practice and complex spiritual texts in simple, practical ways, resonant with the challenges of daily life.
Chris is the author of the The Missing Peace published by Canterbury Press.
Testimonials
“I went to this with my youngest son and he loved it as much as me. He said “that has been the best week of my life …. so far!” It changed my life forever. This week showed me practically what was missing from my life as a Christian. I am so thankful and grateful to the retreat leader who was so patient with me and all my theological questions. It was a blessing to travel ‘into the silent land’ with all these lovely people and develop a close bond without knowing their names or even speaking to them until the last day. The unity and peace we experienced was beyond words. If you are searching for the missing piece in your Christian journey so far, I highly recommend going “into the silent land…”.
Booking
Prices include all retreat resources, accommodation and meals. Standard rooms have a bathroom shared between a maximum of four rooms:
Retreat and accommodation in an ensuite room (£550)
Retreat and accommodation in a standard room with shared bathroom (£470)
This retreat is priced to cover costs (rather than make a profit) so it is as accessible as possible. However, if you are struggling to make ends meet, please don’t hesitate to email The School of Contemplative Life to ask for information about our bursaries at [email protected].
Our events should be understood as only providing spiritual guidance and advice to help participants deepen their own meditation practice and understanding. You and any people you book a ticket for are entirely responsible for how you choose to understand, misunderstand, use or misuse any of our event content, materials and advice.
Many people report subjective improvements in general wellbeing through meditation practice. However, if you or anyone you intend to book a ticket for suffer from any mental, emotional or physical health conditions, please: a) ask your medical practitioner if it is advisable for you/them to attend an event with us, b) make sure you/they always follow your/their medical practitioner's advice and c) let us know in general terms without sharing specific details. In the event that your/their participation brings issues to the surface or reveals some form of mental health condition, we recommend you/they seek suitable professional support. Please be aware that we cannot provide any professional care.
We cannot accept any responsibility for any adverse effects, directly or indirectly, that may result from your/their participation in or use of the information provided during our events or included on our website, in materials, or any other communications, both online and in person. Furthermore, we make no guarantees that any of the programmes, advice and practice material we provide will function in any particular way for you/them. By engaging with us, you/they agree that you/they will use the information, guidance and advice entirely at your own/their discretion.
For any queries please call 01865 874404 or email [email protected]