Reflections from Spirit Rock

“Bad timing! You’ve done it before! Is it really worth it?!” 💭

My mind tries every possible strategy to talk me out of it. But through the years, I’ve learned to let the wiser voice win.

Each year, I spend a week truly offline—no screens, no small talk—at a silent Vipassana retreat. Imagine a hundred strangers gathered with one shared goal: to bring our mind and body into the same place. Together, we hand over our delightful (and devilish) devices, and commit to simple but profound precepts: no talking, no clouding our minds, no harm.

The first few days? My 🐒 mind is in overdrive, replaying its tired reruns. But without the usual distractions—pings, people, problems to solve—there’s literally nowhere to go. As my dear friend Pema Chodron (whom I’ve never met 😉 ) says, it’s "the wisdom of no escape."And then, something shifts. I find a rhythm in the silence: sitting, walking, eating, sleeping—repeat. Within this field of solitude and stillness, I remember things I know but often forget.

💡 I can’t stop my thoughts, but I don’t have to believe them. My mind has a mind of its own! With practice, I’ve learned that nothing it spins up is personal or permanent. I can’t choose which thoughts appear, but I can choose what happens next.

💡 Attention is a muscle, and it needs training. In a world where our focus is hijacked by forces stronger than our willpower, mindfulness is its personal trainer. Attention is our most precious human resource; we can’t afford to give it away for free.

💡 When in doubt, be generous. When I drop my stories (remembering, planning, judging), my most wholesome impulses flow freely. By the end of the week, everyone holds doors open for others—because…how could you not? Generosity is contagious.

💡 We take ourselves wherever we go. The only person I’ll wake up with forever…is myself. My most important and intimate relationship deserves as much love and care as I give to others.

💡 There’s power in the pause. Slowing down is the surest way to start seeing the spaces we otherwise miss—between breaths, days, or years. And it’s in these spaces that we find our freedom and choose our next steps.

These retreats are the most powerful teachers I know—humbling, clarifying, challenging, and rewarding. This is why mindfulness retreats are now core curriculum at The Flight School. Imagine if every 18-year-old on the planet learned the power of retreat and renewal!

🌍 We’re creating a format that’s globally accessible, supportive, and scalable. And as we do, we'd love to hear from you: What forms of retreat have helped you reconnect with yourself?