Colombia · 7 days
Each day at Senda Loto looks much the same, and that is deliberate. You wake for Hatha Yoga and pranayama at 7am. Breakfast at 9 is eaten in silence. At 10 you sit for meditation, at 11 there is a contemplation period, and at noon you sit again. Lunch at 1pm is also silent. From 2 to 5pm the silence eases and the time …
Home › Colombia › Silent Buddhist Meditation and Yoga Week in Colombia's Sierra Nevada
Colombia · 7 days · From USD 1220 (indicative)
Rated 4.6 out of 5 from 40 Google reviews of the host, Senda Loto.
Each day at Senda Loto looks much the same, and that is deliberate. You wake for Hatha Yoga and pranayama at 7am. Breakfast at 9 is eaten in silence. At 10 you sit for meditation, at 11 there is a contemplation period, and at noon you sit again. Lunch at 1pm is also silent. From 2 to 5pm the silence eases and the time is yours: nap, swim, walk in the forest or talk with the other guests.
The evening is when Pema teaches most directly. A meditation class at 5pm is followed at 6 by a teaching on the meditative path and an open Q&A where you can bring up whatever came up on the cushion that day. Dinner at 7 is silent, and from 8pm the group goes back into noble silence until morning.
The week has a clear arc. Sunday through Tuesday focus on Shamatha, which means steadying attention and settling the mind. Wednesday through Friday shift into Open Awareness and Vipassana, the insight practices of the Dudjom Tersar Dzogchen lineage. Practice stays close to the temple space all week, with no excursions in between, so you can keep building day after day.
What makes this week different from a general yoga-and-meditation retreat is the teacher and the tradition. Pema has more than fifteen years of practice in the Dzogchen lineage and holds the Dudjom Tersar lineage. He leads every sitting himself rather than handing classes to assistants. His teaching is practical rather than scholarly, focused on looking at your own mind rather than studying doctrine.
The setting is the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, where the mountains run down to the Caribbean coast in northern Colombia. The retreat space is temple-like and sits in the forest, with boutique-hotel comfort around it: good rooms, proper meals and quiet grounds. It is close enough to the sea for the group to hold its closing fire puja and campfire on the beach on Friday night.
Groups are small. One past guest wrote that this made the instruction feel personal and let the yoga group move quickly into more advanced practice. Some previous meditation experience is recommended. The organisers say the main requirement is a real willingness to sit, stay silent and look inward.
- 6 nights accommodation (shared room, private room or private cabin) - All meals, with vegetarian and regular options - Daily Hatha Yoga & Pranayama - Tibetan breathwork - Daily meditation personally guided by Pema - Evening teachings on the meditative path with Q&A - Tibetan fire puja on the beach - Beach campfire with food and drink on Friday evening - Extended periods of noble silence - Daily free time to rest, swim or walk
- International and domestic flights - Transfers to and from Santa Marta - Travel insurance - Personal expenses - Any extra nights before or after the retreat week