Countering life’s chaos with the power of silence

An interview with Master Subba, creator of “Being With Me” silent retreat

Subba is an experienced mindfulness practitioner and corporate leader, who left his executive leadership role after three decades of corporate life to focus on preparing leaders and organisations for a fast-changing world.

He has a deep personal practice of yoga and meditation spanning 20 years.  His fifteen years of annual practice of silence & solitude has been the source of many of the programs that he runs today. He is also well researched in the ancient wisdom of Asia. After graduating from the top Engineering and Business schools in India, Subba worked extensively in Asia and the Middle East in the high pressure world of Finance and Banking , where he held many senior positions. He brings into his programs his experience of integrating mindfulness practice into high pressured corporate life. 

Subba is currently the co-founder of  Sattvaa Pte ltd and the chief program architect of Being, a mindfulness based program that  empowers people to live their best lives. Together with his wife he runs a retreat centre in Ubud, Bali.

How did you start your own journey into silent retreats?

One December morning in 2004, I was reading a book The Karma Manual, by an Australian monk Bob Mumford. He described 9 things to do in 9 days to transform your life. It was that book that inspired me to undertake my first silence in solitude retreat. It was a spontaneous choice. I went ahead and designed my own retreat – time with nature, long meditations, no contact with the world, all at home. My family had planned Christmas break for themselves whilst I made a retreat with myself.  

Having spent 16 years practicing the art of retreating silently with the self, what has been your most rewarding silent retreat experience?

Every year is special. A new theme emerges. A better understanding of myself. What is most amazing is when you go silent, you can hear yourself think. When you start to give that attention, the mind slowly goes quiet, and in that silence, answers emerge. But I must be careful what I say here, because I want all people to walk into this retreat with no expectation – so that it can be their own magical experience, not a repeat of another’s, or a disappointment that they couldn’t experience what I had experienced. 

Do you think a silent retreat is essential in these times? How is it relevant to city-dwellers?

The world is super noisy. And we are all consumed by FOMO. Our business and social calendars are full. And even when we are not speaking we are on email, whatsapp or social media. Or watching a show on Netflix or Amazon Prime. We seldom give ourselves the space and time to think about our most important issues. So if we don’t go completely silent, who is making the important choices in our life and how?  

Could you tell us what is an online silent retreat? How does it differ from attending a physical retreat overseas or following free youtube videos?  

Silent retreats as known to us today are mostly a 10 day process held in a retreat center. These days, people find it challenging to allocate those 10 days and during these times, it's not easy to travel either. However, that does not mean we need to postpone our silent retreat. 

On the other hand, watching YouTube videos and trying to do these retreats or using a phone based app can be even more challenging. Imagine trying to watch a YouTube video or listen to an App while emails and Whatsapp notifications are swarming into your screen. That would be really challenging.

So that's why we have created a silent retreat which you can do on your own at home but with a detailed instruction guide, almost like your manuscript. I have created this based on the years of my experience practising. I wish I had this with me 15 years ago when I embarked on my first retreat. Now that would have been magical.     

Most other programs focus mainly on meditation. In our silent retreat, we invoke the power of nature, silence, meditation, food, and journaling, to help guide us to answering the most important questions of our life.    

Can anyone of any level join it? What if I have no experience of self care? Or I do a little meditation but never attended any retreats previously? Or is this for current wellness practitioners such as yoga teachers?

Everybody can join this retreat. The retreat meets you where you are on your journey. The guidance is of value to both the basic and advanced practitioner. Remember, I used this process 15 years ago and I still use it. Each year, I derive huge benefits from it.

When I was a beginner, I enjoyed unique experiences in nature; the joy of experiencing stillness in the mind. Even if it were only for a few moments. When I became more experienced with the practice and also with meditation, the silence helped me to connect with my intuition. I was able to get both deeper insights and understanding of myself.

In more recent times, my experiences have turned magical. And I have stopped expecting the unexpected. I no longer know what to expect. You don’t need any experience with yoga or meditation. It is not required for this practice. All you need to have is the curiosity and the openness of being with yourself. 

How can this practice benefit ourselves and those around us? Can it help anxiety and depression? 

This practice helps to still the mind. And in that stillness to be able to understand ourselves better. Perhaps even discover the answer to the some of the most important questions of our life. As a result, it certainly help to significantly reduce anxiety, not just during the practice but even after.

However, depression is a different story. I would actually recommend that people with depression consult a therapist or seek professional help before embarking on such a retreat. 

How do we get the most of this exercise to make it worthwhile and life-long? Will it be temporary escapism?  

A silent retreat is beneficial only if you stay with the practice. You may do this in many ways. You could repeat a one-day practice a few times in a year, maybe once in three months or once in six months or even monthly. I take 5 days with myself every year and I've done so for 16 years. Certainly, the consistency of this practice helps us to grow in knowledge, understanding and wisdom.