What a Vipassana silent meditation retreat in Thailand is really like

Back in 2015, I voluntarily paid money to spend three days not talking to anyone.

Not that I was going through an existential crisis or desperately trying to “find myself.” I wasn’t even particularly spiritual.

I’d dabbled in a bit of yoga and meditation here and there, mostly because I like trying random things, not because I wanted to achieve inner peace.

In fact, the thing that intrigued me most wasn’t the meditation at all. It was the silence.

The first time I’d ever heard of a silent retreat was in Eat, Pray, Love, and I couldn’t stop wondering what it would actually be like. Would it be relaxing? Agonizing? Could I really go days without speaking?

If you’ve followed my travels for a while, you’ll know that curiosity gets me into all sorts of situations. I’ll try almost anything once, especially if it sounds a little unusual (check out my ever growing bucket list).

So I signed up for a three-day beginner’s Vipassana retreat in Koh Samui and went in with absolutely no idea what to expect.

This post was originally published in 2019 and everything is based on that experience in 2015, so some of the practical details may have changed over the years.

But if you’re curious about what it’s like to voluntarily give up your phone, your voice, and most of your creature comforts for a few days, keep reading.

What is a silent meditation retreat?

The world can be a noisy place. We’re constantly talking, listening, scrolling, replying, and consuming information. Even when we’re physically alone, we’re rarely free from notifications or the urge to check what’s happening online.

Most of the time, we also rush through life without taking the time to appreciate the present. We’re taught that doing nothing, or even thinking of nothing, is akin to laziness.

But just as our bodies need rest, so do our minds. That’s what a silent meditation retreat aims to provide.

Participants spend several days in silence, following a structured schedule built around Vipassana meditation, mindfulness, and simple daily living.

Vipassana is one of the oldest forms of Buddhist meditation, with a practice centered on observing your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations without reacting to them.

As someone who had never done anything remotely like this before, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

Dipabhavan Meditation Center, Koh Samui

I ended up joining a retreat at Dipabhavan Meditation Center after searching online for something affordable and beginner-friendly.

It’s located on a hillside in the southeast of Koh Samui, Thailand.

At the time, many meditation centers required a minimum stay of about seven days, but Dipabhavan offered a shorter three-day introductory retreat, which felt much more manageable for a first-timer.

Accommodation and meals were included for the duration of the stay, and the retreat operated on a donation basis.

You could contribute whatever amount you felt appropriate, and if you couldn’t pay much, that was accepted without pressure or judgment.

To join, I filled out a registration form on their website and waited for confirmation.

What to expect on a silent meditation retreat

If the word retreat makes you picture a luxury resort with infinity pools, scented candles, and people drinking green juice in fluffy bathrobes, you’re in for quite a reality check.

You will be in a tropical paradise, all right, and there will be “four-poster beds”, but these four posts are for hanging mosquito nets from, and the beds come without mattresses.

Instead, each participant is given a thin straw mat, a blanket, a mosquito net, and a wooden pillow. Each bed is enclosed on three sides by wooden partitions to provide a bit of privacy and help minimize distractions.

Sleeping on a hard surface was something I had expected and was already pretty used to.

But the wooden pillow, well, that was something else. I tried sleeping on it, but soon decided I was better off without it.

Strangely enough, I slept very well throughout my stay.

The dormitory itself was large, and since there were only about twenty of us staying there, we occupied only a small part of it.

I picked a bed near the windows for better ventilation. On one of the nights, a cat sneaked into my bed and graced me with his furry presence till morning. Easily the most social interaction I had all retreat.

After checking in, everyone had to hand over their valuables to be locked away. Phones, cameras, books, notebooks, watches, snacks, cigarettes… basically anything that could distract or entertain you.

If your family needed to reach you, they had to contact the meditation center instead.

There were no mirrors anywhere on the grounds, either. The idea is to keep you away from frivolous things like personal appearance. I probably looked like an orangutan after three days, but it did feel liberating.

The daily schedule

You have to wake up at 4:30 a.m. every day, with no alarm clock. In fact, you’re not even allowed to have a watch on you.

This really worried me in the beginning. My usual wake-up time was 7:30 a.m., and I always had to set an alarm. Even then, I sometimes slept through it.

Luckily, the monastery bell rang loudly enough to be heard throughout the entire compound.

We would all shuffle out in the dark with our flashlights toward the meditation hall. The bell rang every time we were expected to be there.

Given that the place was fully run by volunteers, each participant also had to choose a daily chore. I chose to clean the toilets.

No, actually I didn’t choose it; it was the only one left because I registered quite late.

But it wasn’t so bad, as everyone was practicing mindfulness, so even cleanliness was taken very seriously.

The daily schedule went something like this:

04:30	Wake up
05:00	Morning reading
05:15	Sitting meditation
05:45	Yoga / exercise
07:00	Sitting meditation
07:30	Breakfast & chores
09:30	Dhamma talk
10:30	Walking or standing meditation
11:00	Sitting meditation
11:30	Lunch & chores
14:00	Meditation instruction & sitting meditation
15:00	Walking or standing meditation
15:30	Sitting meditation
16:00	Walking or standing meditation
16:30	Chanting & loving kindness meditation
17:30	Tea
19:30	Sitting meditation
20:00	Group walking meditation
20:30	Sitting meditation
21:00	Bedtime
21:30	LIGHTS OUT

You’re not allowed to skip any of the activities, but there is still some free time built into the day.

During those breaks, you can do your laundry, shower, rest, or, if you’re feeling particularly committed to the experience, sit in more meditation on your own.

Food at the retreat

The vegan food they serve will make you want to go vegan.

Yes, it really is that good.

We were served vegan meals every day, complete with fresh fruit and dessert after each meal. To be honest, I was a little apprehensive when I first learned that the food would be entirely plant-based.

Up until then, my experiences with vegan food hadn’t been particularly memorable, apart from producing an impressive amount of flatulence.

But I’m now convinced that Thai people can make just about anything taste amazing.

I was genuinely surprised by the variety of dishes and how flavorful they were. Not once did I find myself wishing for meat.

There were only two meals a day: breakfast and lunch. After noon, we weren’t allowed to eat any solid food.

Knowing me, you’d probably be surprised that I survived that, but somehow I did. Whenever I got hungry, I simply drank more water. By the end of the retreat, I actually felt pretty good.

How fit do you have to be?

If the idea of twisting yourself into a pretzel makes you flinch, good news: there isn’t much yoga involved.

And if there is, it’s not the back-breaking, limb-twisting kind, but something gentler and more focused on the spiritual side.

During my retreat, the facilitator even asked if anyone in the group practiced yoga and would be willing to lead a short morning session. So if no one volunteers, I suppose it might simply not happen at all.

That said, there is a lot of sitting meditation. And I mean a lot.

Meditation itself isn’t physically demanding, but it shouldn’t be underestimated. Try sitting in the lotus position for an hour without moving, and you’ll understand why.

This is where prior yoga experience, or at least a bit of flexibility, comes in handy. Cushions are provided, but no cushion in the world can protect you from pins and needles if your body simply isn’t used to it.

Then there’s the uphill walk to and from the meditation hall. Because of this, the program might not be suitable for people with mobility impairments.

Are you really not allowed to talk?

Yes. Right after tea time on the first day, noble silence begins.

The only times you are allowed to speak are during the chanting sessions, before meals when you say grace, and at the end of meditation or sermons if you have any questions for the monk (and even then, it’s done privately).

Apart from that, you are expected to remain silent and keep noise to a minimum in everything you do. Not only are you not allowed to talk, but you also have to be mindful not to make unnecessary noise.

Participants are encouraged to smile at each other, although most people tend to avoid eye contact altogether.

Do you have to be Buddhist?

No, you don’t have to be Buddhist to join, and no one is going to try to convert you. The retreat is open to people from all walks of life, with all kinds of backgrounds, beliefs, and identities.

That said, Vipassana meditation does come from Buddhist tradition, so you’ll be introduced to some basic teachings from the Buddha, along with the Five Precepts, which focus on ethical living and mental clarity.

These include refraining from harming others, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants.

In practice, it’s less about religion and more about how you conduct yourself and observe your own mind.

You don’t have to agree with everything or adopt any belief system. The idea is simply to stay open, listen, and take whatever feels useful to you.

There is usually chanting at the end of meditation sessions. It’s meant to help with relaxation and focus, and it consists of short passages from Buddhist texts related to meditation and Dhamma talks.

You’re encouraged to take part, but if it makes you uncomfortable or goes against your beliefs, you can opt out.

The only general expectation is that you remain in the hall and keep things quiet while others participate.

What to bring to a Vipassana meditation retreat

• Loose clothing that covers from below the knees to the upper arms. No see-through fabric. It’s recommended to wear white.
• Slippers or easy footwear
• Towel and toiletries
• Mosquito repellent
• Umbrella or raincoat (if visiting during rainy season)
• Flashlight and batteries

Final thoughts

The noble silence might feel like a jail sentence to some, but definitely not to me. It felt like paradise.

For the first time in my life, I could sit at a dining table with other people and not be expected to make conversation.

Refraining from writing or reading a book was more of a challenge for me. So was quieting my mind.

As an introvert with what I sometimes suspect might be undiagnosed ADHD, most of my daily conversations happen in my head. There’s a whole jungle in there.

Thoughts jump from one branch to another, from past to present to future without much warning. So being asked to think less and focus only on my breathing was very intense.

Believe it or not, I actually found the retreat more mentally tiring than my normal daily life.

Having completed it, I can’t say I became more enlightened than before. I’m still very much a work in progress when it comes to being mindful of the present.

But I had always been intrigued by the Buddhist perspective on life, and the retreat was a good introduction to that world. I would do it again if I ever get the chance.

Here is a picture of me with two other Malaysian participants I met there. We were the only three Asians in the group.

If you enjoyed this, you’ll probably like the rest of my bucket list.

Not into meditation? Explore other activities you can try in Koh Samui instead: