Resting in God

Weekend silent retreat in Yorkshire

Fri 31 May to Sun 2 June
Community of the Resurrection | Mirfield

In returning and rest, in quietness and trust, God draws us to the silent depths of who we are in him (Isaiah 30:15).

As the contemporary teacher Fr. Martin Laird OSA writes, “We enter the land of silence [of God] by the silence of surrender.”

“The contemplative discipline of meditation…is not a technique but a surrendering of deeply embedded resistances that allows the sacred within gradually to reveal itself as a simple, fundamental fact.”

The essence of prayer is radically simple. But it can be difficult for us to release ourselves into its healing simplicity.

Surrendering our resistances, letting go of all that gives rise to the sense of separateness, we come into the open pastures of belonging where we are one with each other and all creation, to rest in the oneness of God.

The central focus of this experiential retreat will be silent meditation practice.  With help from the teachings of Julian of Norwich, Ruth Burrows OCD, Martin Laird OSA and other great voices from the Christian contemplative tradition, we will explore the path of interior surrender, of releasing into and resting in God through our deepening stillness and shared silence.

We will consider the subtle challenges we meet in something so simple as being still, the interior skills that develop as our practice develops, and how silence and self-forgetfulness help us to be places of peace in the world.

The retreat will be relevant and accessible to anyone searching for truth and peace, regardless of their faith, beliefs or previous experience of meditation.

The retreat begins on Friday at 4:30pm (arrivals from 3:00pm) with an orientation talk followed by a period of silent meditation before dinner. Short talks across the weekend will be balanced with regular periods of sitting meditation, walking meditation, time for private reflection, enjoyment of the beautiful grounds and opportunities for short private meetings with the retreat leader, Chris Whittington. The retreat will finish after lunch and a closing conversation on Sunday.

We expect this event will be popular and numbers are limited to 30 people so please book early if you would like to ensure a place.

Comments following the last Resting in God retreat:

“It was pure magic. I’ve been going on a variety of retreats over the last 20 years, some silent, individually led and others. However, this has by far been the most valuable. It has helped enormously to grasp more deeply the essence of the practice.”

“The fact that this retreat was a silent retreat gave me the time and space to develop a greater interior silence, as well as the unique (to me) experience of the silence surrounding me. The unhurried, silent yet communal way of being, and being with others, has been a very precious gift for which I am so grateful.”

“Being immersed in the practice for a whole weekend was hugely enabling and encouraging for my personal spiritual journey. The environment of shared silence in such a special venue was extraordinarily precious and intimate. The teaching was incredibly accessible to a wide audience and deeply engaging, shared with passion, integrity and overwhelming openness and honesty.”

Retreat leader

Chris Whittington is the founder of the School of Contemplative Life. He was introduced to contemplative practice at the age of 19 during a period of formation at the Benedictine monastery of Prinknash Abbey, after which he studied at the Dalai Lama’s monastery in India. Chris regularly delivers talks, workshops and retreats across the UK.

Cost (inclusive of all meals and refreshments): 

£270 in a retreat house room with shared bathrooms; £290 in an en-suite room.