6 Day New Year Silent Retreat Level 1 in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Dr Uriel Yariv’s school runs this New Year retreat at Amrita Ashram Resort, its countryside base about 40 minutes’ drive east of Chiang Mai. It is the first of two modules, running from 28 December to 2 January, and it’s held in silence. The approach is tantric, so the focus is on opening the heart rather than detaching from the world.

The programme

You enter silence after dinner on the first day, following a short centring session. Each day then follows the same pattern: hatha yoga and heart-focused meditation in the morning, breakfast, then lectures and meditation. A long lunch break from about 1pm leaves time for the pool, garden or library. Around 4pm there’s more hatha yoga, meditation and a short lecture, with dinner at 6:30 and interactive exercises at 8pm. Uriel, who holds a master’s in clinical psychology, has spent more than two years of his own life in silent retreat.

The lectures draw on the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, the Tantraloka and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. They cover practical questions such as how to concentrate, relax and build a daily routine, as well as the nature of consciousness. Questions are answered through a daily written Q&A. Silence here isn’t isolation, either: some exercises involve gentle contact, even hugs. A second module from 2 to 6 January goes deeper into longer meditations.

The centre

The centre sits in the Mae On countryside at the foot of the Mae Takhrai mountains among rice paddies and farms. Every room has air conditioning. The shared rooms, the cheapest option, use gender-specific bathrooms with several private showers, while the single and twin private rooms each have an en-suite bathroom. There’s also a meditation garden, outdoor pool, sauna and yoga shala. A Thai chef and her team cook the vegetarian food.

Watch out: this retreat is not for anyone currently on antidepressants or other psychiatric medication, or living with a mental health condition. Those who come anyway do so on their own responsibility.

Who it’s for

A first silent retreat is easier with this much structure and teaching around it. It also fits people who found a strict Vipassana course too austere and want a softer, heart-centred approach.

Insider Tip: the centre runs free transport from a pickup point in Chiang Mai Old Town, so take a Grab or taxi from the airport to town instead of paying for a long ride to Mae On.

Booking terms

Plans that change three weeks or more before 28 December get a full refund. A late booking cancelled within 24 hours is refunded too; otherwise a cancellation inside 21 days turns the deposit into credit for a future event with the same school. The balance is paid on arrival in cash or by bank transfer. Check-in is from 1:30pm and check-out by 3:30pm.