What do you do on a silent retreat at home?

On this one you work through thirty-three sessions in silence over about sixteen hours: tea outside at sunrise, a mindful tidy, two twenty-minute box breathing sessions, five forty-minute meditations (a Zen ten-count in the morning, open awareness in the afternoon), a cold dip, four walks, light yoga and weights, seven mindful food and drink stops, and twenty minutes of reading before bed. No talking, no messaging and no scrolling.

How much does a silent retreat cost?

Doing it at home costs nothing beyond what you already have. The day needs a chair or cushion you can sit in for forty minutes, a timer, somewhere to walk, and food you have planned in advance, because you only eat at the scheduled stops.

Do you need meditation experience to do a silent retreat at home?

Some, yes. Michele is clear that this is a demanding day and that it suits people who already have some retreat or meditation experience and know when to keep going and when to ease off. If you have never meditated for more than twenty minutes at a time, start with a shorter Burst first.

How long is a one day silent retreat?

This one runs close to sixteen hours, from the first tea at sunrise to the last page before bed, so clear the whole day and tell the people around you that you will be out of contact.

One Day Silent Meditation Retreat

Quality: Very good· 96.6%Effort: Very difficult· 2515h 49m

In collaboration with Michele Troughear

When did you last give yourself a whole day to slow down?

Come out the other side more present than you've felt in years. This at-home silent retreat draws on Michele Troughear's experience, with five meditations, two breathwork sessions, walks, an ocean plunge and mindful meals. Keep silent if you can.

The runsheet

1
Tea outside for sunrise
Eating (mindful)
This is the entry into the full day and starting it well is important: make a tea, take it outside and sit with it while the light comes up. Making the tea is its own kind of ritual, so do it mindfully and resist the urge to rush.
20 min activitySetup 3 min · Reset 3 min · 26 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing eating (mindful) before tidying & cleaning (mindful)
There's a useful connection here because the satisfied feeling from eating can motivate cleaning, though avoid heavy lifting after large meals.
2
Start by clearing your bedroom
Tidying & cleaning (mindful)
Making your bed and straightening out the room. Michele treats this as a mindful session of the retreat rather than a chore: one small space at a time, done with care and in silence.
15 min activitySetup 3 min · Reset 3 min · 21 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing tidying & cleaning (mindful) before breath work
This can be a good pairing because breath work can help you settle into the cleaner space while releasing any remaining tension.
3
First breathwork
Breath work
Box breathing is the technique Michele uses for each of the breathwork sessions. She uses it to settle down and start warming up her concentration before the first meditation.
20 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 22 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing breath work before breath counting
This can help because regulated breathing can make simple counting feel more grounded and rhythmic.
4
Meditation #1: breath counting
Breath counting
Michele uses a Zen ten-count for the morning meditations: count each out-breath from one to ten, start again, and go back to one whenever you lose it. Forty minutes. If that feels like too much, sit quietly for the rest rather than cutting it short.
40 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 42 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing breath counting before break
This can help because a break lets any mental clarity and calm from counting settle in naturally.
Take a break
10 min
Break
Michele builds ten minutes in here to release some of the pressure that comes from concentrating. Stand, stretch your legs, drink some water, look out a window or step outside.
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing break before being in nature
This is a strong combination because moving from rest into nature deepens restoration and extends a sense of calm.
6
Walk down to the beach
Being in nature
Michele lives near Port Phillip Bay and walks down to the water with her towel for the cold session that follows. If you don't live near water, still take the walk, then head home: the next session works as a cold shower.
15 min activitySetup 3 min · Reset 3 min · 21 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing being in nature before cold plunge
There is no major connection here because the cold shock takes over and any calm from nature doesn't change the intense experience.
7
A quick cold dip
Cold plunge
If you don't have access to a cold body of water, a pool or a cold plunge then a cold shower will do the job. Get in for five minutes, then out, dry off, and walk home slowly.
5 min activitySetup 8 min · Reset 8 min · 21 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing cold plunge before cooking (mindful)
There is only a light connection here because once rewarmed, food preparation doesn't particularly connect with the prior cold experience.
8
Make the matcha
Cooking (mindful)
By this point you're likely to be hungry and looking forward to eating. Michele makes a nutritionally dense matcha as her first meal of the day, but make whatever suits you. The practice is to be fully present to whatever you are preparing.
20 min activitySetup 5 min · Reset 5 min · 30 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing cooking (mindful) before eating (mindful)
This is an excellent pairing because eating what you've just cooked mindfully completes the full cycle from preparation to nourishment with intention.
9
Drink the matcha
Eating (mindful)
On a silent retreat day every session is either a formal meditation or an informal mindful practice. So slow down, take your time, and appreciate whatever you are eating or drinking. Flavours take on a new intensity under these conditions.
10 min activitySetup 3 min · Reset 3 min · 16 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing eating (mindful) before breath work
This can be a good pairing because both involve awareness, so breath work feels like a natural extension of mindful eating.
10
Breathwork #2
Breath work
Use the same box-breathing pattern as the first session. Michele places this one just before the second meditation because she likes to use controlled breathing to help settle the body and sharpen concentration before moving into stillness.
20 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 22 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing breath work before breath counting
This can help because regulated breathing can make simple counting feel more grounded and rhythmic.
11
Meditation #2: breath counting
Breath counting
This is the second ten-count meditation of the day. The counting may feel a little easier to stay with this time. If your mind wanders or you lose count, just go back to one and continue. This is the approach for everyone, experienced or not.
40 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 42 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing breath counting before being in nature
This can be a good pairing because any calm focus can help you notice more details and feel more connected outdoors.
12
Walk around the block
Being in nature
This is the first of Michele's three walks. The point is really just to move a little, get some fresh air and clear your head between meditations. A park or beach is a bonus, but simply walking around the block is fine.
20 min activitySetup 3 min · Reset 3 min · 26 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing being in nature before eating (mindful)
This can be a good pairing because mindful eating continues the grounded feeling from outside, especially when using fresh ingredients.
13
Coffee and a small snack
Eating (mindful)
This is a fairly short session which is used for both mindful preparation and enjoyment of your morning coffee and a snack. Make the food nutritious and tasty but not too heavy. A bigger meal is coming after one more meditation session.
25 min activitySetup 3 min · Reset 3 min · 31 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing eating (mindful) before breath counting
This can help because any calm focus from mindful eating can flow into breath counting, maintaining present-moment attention.
14
Meditation #3
Breath counting
This is the last of the three ten-count meditations, followed by a break before the day's first proper meal. If concentrating is starting to feel harder by now, that's understandable. Same technique: start again at one whenever you lose your place.
40 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 42 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing breath counting before break
This can help because a break lets any mental clarity and calm from counting settle in naturally.
You deserve this break
10 min
Break
You'll really appreciate this break! Get up, move around, open a window, and start thinking about the cooking. Shake off any tightness from sitting, and know you've already done the most intense part of the day.
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing break before cooking (mindful)
There's a useful connection here because a relaxed state from a break can help you cook with more patience and present-moment awareness.
16
Cook breakfast at lunchtime
Cooking (mindful)
The first main meal comes late, around 12:30, and Michele sets aside an hour and a half for it. Make something delicious and let it be your whole focus. No talking, no screens, nothing else on at the same time. Just food, made with care.
40 min activitySetup 5 min · Reset 5 min · 50 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing cooking (mindful) before eating (mindful)
This is an excellent pairing because eating what you've just cooked mindfully completes the full cycle from preparation to nourishment with intention.
17
Enjoy breakfast
Eating (mindful)
Sit down and give this meal your full attention. This might feel different to eat in silence, with no screens or anything else competing for your attention.
25 min activitySetup 3 min · Reset 3 min · 31 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing eating (mindful) before tidying & cleaning (mindful)
There's a useful connection here because the satisfied feeling from eating can motivate cleaning, though avoid heavy lifting after large meals.
18
The afternoon clean-up
Tidying & cleaning (mindful)
This is the second work session, which you can use to finish cleaning up after your meal. Or tackle another area at home that you can manage in this short session. The aim is to do it mindfully rather than rushing to clean your whole home.
25 min activitySetup 3 min · Reset 3 min · 31 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing tidying & cleaning (mindful) before yoga
This can be a good pairing because yoga in a clean space can feel more calm and grounding, building on the care you just practised.
19
Light yoga
Yoga
Michele's yoga on a retreat day is the antidote to sitting. It's meant for relief, and not to be a stimulating workout. Twenty minutes at home, get your mat out and do any restorative or yin sequence.
20 min activitySetup 6 min · Reset 9 min · 35 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing yoga before open awareness
This is an excellent pairing because focused attention from sequences can widen into calm witnessing observation easily.
20
Meditation #4, time to dig in
Open awareness
The afternoon meditation moves from counting to open awareness: just noticing whatever arrives and letting it pass. Another forty minutes. If your back or legs were complaining last time, this is a good point to change chair or posture.
40 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 42 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing open awareness before break
This pairing is especially effective because a quiet sit afterwards lets any spacious calm integrate instead of scattering into the next task.
Ten minutes to just chill
10 min
Break
Michele builds in a ten-minute break after the fourth meditation and often just lies down on the ground and does nothing! Do what works for you, stand, stretch, a glass of water.
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing break before being in nature
This is a strong combination because moving from rest into nature deepens restoration and extends a sense of calm.
22
The afternoon walk
Being in nature
This is Michele's second walk around the block. Same idea as the morning one: legs, some fresh air, let yourself have a rest from the prior focus-heavy sessions.
20 min activitySetup 3 min · Reset 3 min · 26 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing being in nature before cooking (mindful)
There's a useful connection here because mindful cooking can carry forward any calm presence found from being outside, though the link is gentle.
23
Cook the second main meal
Cooking (mindful)
Michele's second meal is around four, which sounds odd until you realise there are only two main meals in the day and this is the last one. Take time and care with the preparation; food becomes very important on a retreat day.
20 min activitySetup 5 min · Reset 5 min · 30 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing cooking (mindful) before eating (mindful)
This is an excellent pairing because eating what you've just cooked mindfully completes the full cycle from preparation to nourishment with intention.
24
Eat lunch
Eating (mindful)
Sit down, eat slowly, in silence. Michele gives lunch an hour all up including the cooking. If you're not that hungry, which might be the case, it's ok to eat less.
20 min activitySetup 3 min · Reset 3 min · 26 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing eating (mindful) before resistance training
This can work, but it needs care because strength work on a full stomach might cause discomfort or reduced performance; waiting helps.
25
Light weights
Resistance training
Michele's one workout of the day: light weights at home, body-weight or whatever your set-up allows. Thirty minutes, with slack afterwards to cool down. Keep it moderate; this is about being present with your body, not pushing for results.
30 min activitySetup 8 min · Reset 11 min · 49 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing resistance training before eating (mindful)
This works well because resistance work depletes energy, and mindful eating can aid recovery if meal timing is appropriate.
26
Early evening snack
Eating (mindful)
A light snack, which doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable. Prepare it with care and take your time over it. It stays light so the last meditation isn't done on a full stomach. Part of the discipline is that you only eat at the stops, never between.
20 min activitySetup 3 min · Reset 3 min · 26 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing eating (mindful) before break
This works well because a break gives the body time to digest while you rest in the satisfaction of nourishing yourself.
Evening pause
60 min
Break
This is the decompression break! You're on the home straight and may be surprised how tired you feel. Time to catch up, rest, and watch the sunset. If you need a nap, have one, just set yourself a timer.
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing break before open awareness
This is an excellent pairing because settling first quiets mental chatter, making it simpler to rest in wide, choiceless attention.
28
Meditation #5, an achievement
Open awareness
Michele's last meditation of the day, and it often comes with the welcome feeling of knowing there's no more to do and that you've done something significant. When you start, put that aside and just do the work of this session.
40 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 42 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing open awareness before break
This pairing is especially effective because a quiet sit afterwards lets any spacious calm integrate instead of scattering into the next task.
Another break, you'll need it
20 min
Break
Twenty minutes between the last meditation and the evening walk. As you get towards the end of the day, more breaks are both needed and an opportunity to feel what effects the culmination of meditation sessions and deep presence is having on you.
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing break before being in nature
This is a strong combination because moving from rest into nature deepens restoration and extends a sense of calm.
30
Evening walk
Being in nature
A last walk, fifteen minutes around the block and the point is to use the movement to help you to process what you've been doing and to bring relief from all the sitting.
15 min activitySetup 3 min · Reset 3 min · 21 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing being in nature before cooking (mindful)
There's a useful connection here because mindful cooking can carry forward any calm presence found from being outside, though the link is gentle.
31
A late supper
Cooking (mindful)
The evening ritual is a cup of tea and it may feel like the bookend to the start of the day. If you are still hungry and know you need to eat, prepare something light like a piece of fruit.
20 min activitySetup 5 min · Reset 5 min · 30 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing cooking (mindful) before eating (mindful)
This is an excellent pairing because eating what you've just cooked mindfully completes the full cycle from preparation to nourishment with intention.
32
An evening tea ritual
Eating (mindful)
The last food and drink stop of Michele's day, and the last stretch of silence before you can crawl into bed and read.
10 min activitySetup 3 min · Reset 3 min · 16 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing eating (mindful) before reading (mindful)
This works well because any calm, satisfied state from mindful eating can carry into patient, engaged reading.
33
Read to close the day
Reading (mindful)
Michele ends every retreat day with twenty minutes of reading, if she can keep her eyes open. It's usually done in bed with a view to impending sleep.
20 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 22 min all-in
Time well spent.
15h 49m spent doing something good for yourself.

The breakdown

Burst evaluation

QualityVery good· 96.6%

Sequencing100%

Logistics93.2%

DifficultyVery difficult· 25

Total activity839m / 540mVery difficult

Physical activity135m / 269mDemanding

Mental focus585m / 240mVery difficult

Introspection270m / 270mVery difficult

Creativity100m / 149mManageable

+ 28 more conditionsHow we assess →

Wellbeing focus

The relative wellbeing focus of this Burst.

HighEmotional

HighPhysical

MedSelf

MedSocial

HighIntellectual

About this Burst

Michele Troughear is a meditation teacher and mindfulness coach trained under Tibetan Buddhist Masters with four years teaching in a modern Buddhist temple. She holds advanced NLP and coaching certifications and works as a thinking partner for stressed high-achievers, including C-suite executives and public figures. Author of the Meditation Journal (Amazon). Primary platforms: her website, Substack newsletter, and Insight Timer guided meditations.

A reset Clear my head Breathwork & nervous-system At home Out in nature Anytime Full-day

Common questions

One Day Silent Meditation Retreat15h 49m · free in the app15h 49m · free in the app

One Day Silent Meditation Retreat

The runsheet

Tea outside for sunrise

Start by clearing your bedroom

First breathwork

Meditation #1: breath counting

Take a break

Walk down to the beach

A quick cold dip

Make the matcha

Drink the matcha

Breathwork #2

Meditation #2: breath counting

Walk around the block

Coffee and a small snack

Meditation #3

You deserve this break

Cook breakfast at lunchtime

Enjoy breakfast

The afternoon clean-up

Light yoga

Meditation #4, time to dig in

Ten minutes to just chill

The afternoon walk

Cook the second main meal

Eat lunch

Light weights

Early evening snack

Evening pause

Meditation #5, an achievement

Another break, you'll need it

Evening walk

A late supper

An evening tea ritual

Read to close the day