A lifelong traveler finds deepest refuge in a nearby monastery, preferring silence and stillness to constant movement. Regular, long-term retreats at a Benedictine hermitage cultivate sustained presence, clearer perception, and emotional renewal. Monastic routines and contemplative practices demonstrate how deliberate withdrawal from noise and distraction can sharpen attention and restore perspective. Solitude and silence function as practical tools for managing a noisy mind and rediscovering inner calm. Ambient recordings from the hermitage provide sensory examples of the quiet that supports contemplative life and invites others to adapt silent practices into everyday routines.
Author Pico Iyer has traveled the world, but he finds his greatest escape in a monastery a few hours from his childhood home. He shares why he finds so much peace in silence and how you can too.
About Pico Iyer Pico Iyer is an author and essayist, best known for writing about his travels. He has written 17 books include The Open Road, The Art of Stillness and, most recently, Aflame: Learning from Silence, where he offers a glimpse into monastic life and what you can learn from solitude.
For the past several decades, he has regularly spoken and traveled with the Dalai Lama and has made more than 100 retreats at a Benedictine monastery in California. He has given 5 TED Talks and written for over 250 periodicals worldwide, including Time, The New York Times, Harper's Magazine and the Financial Times.
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