Retreats offer an ideal opportunity to step away from our concerns and worries and devote time, calmly and attentively, to deepening our spiritual practice. They allow us to reflect on our Master's words, practise introspection and enjoy nature as a means of drawing closer to God.
The silence maintained during much of the retreat greatly enriches the experience: it avoids distractions, acts as an inner mirror and helps us connect with our inner peace.
This year's retreat is entitled “Living without fear through faith”. Through selected readings from our Master's writings and talks, and those of his principal disciples, we will explore how faith can help us face life's challenges with confidence and serenity.
It will take place at Casal Sant Martí de Veciana (Barcelona), a retreat centre in very peaceful natural surroundings, with single rooms with bathrooms and a hall for group meditation.
If you wish to step away from the frantic pace of daily life and find a place for contemplation and the search for God, this is the time and the place.
“Life is the greatest adventure imaginable... And yet there is no greater adventure in this universe than exploring the nature of Spirit.”Paramahansa Yogananda
Retreat information
The retreat begins on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and ends on Sunday after lunch, at 3:30 p.m.
- Place: Casal Sant Martí de Veciana, surrounded by nature and peaceful, beautiful countryside. Road BV-1001, km 5.9.
- Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/LRjWHhyeByaRFBw8
- Meals: Vegetarian menu. Food allergies and intolerances: please complete this form
- Booking: Places are allocated in order of registration. Availability is limited.
- Booking deadline: 1 November 2026
Price for the full retreat
- Double room: €153
- Single room: €163
All rooms have a toilet, shower, towels and heating.
Further information
Please contact:
Valentín Held · Telephone: 605 994 760 · Email: valentinheld@gmx.de
or Leonor Tamayo · Telephone: 666 595 364
We will create a WhatsApp group for registered participants.
Schedule for Friday 13 November
- 16:00 h-18:45 h. Reception, collection of room keys and distribution of the information pack.
- 19:00 h. Meditation.
- 20:30 h. Dinner and greetings.
- 22:30 h. Beginning of the period of silence.
Payment
- Bank account: (IBAN) ES55 0081 1594 9800 0105 0809 (Associació d’Amics de Paramahansa Yogananda)
- Reference: Veciana autumn retreat 2026
- Name: Enter the name of the person or people making the booking.
- Send proof of payment to coordinador@yogananda-srfbarcelona.com with the names of the people attending the retreat, stating whether they would like a single or shared room (two people).
The retreat price is an indivisible package that includes full board and all services.
The value of silence
Silence has immense value and can only truly be understood through experience. Silence focuses the mind on inner stillness and intuitive communion with God. “If speech is silver,” said a saint, “then silence is pure gold.”
Below are some extracts from our beloved Master's books concerning silence:
“The spiritually deep person lives day and night in a castle of calm inner silence, into which neither distressing worries nor even the roar of colliding worlds can enter. The more silent you become, the more happiness you will find. No human tongue can express the joy awaiting discovery in the silence beyond the gateways of the mind.”
“You must convince yourself; you must meditate and create that atmosphere. Those who meditate deeply experience a wonderful inner stillness. This inner calm must be maintained even in the company of others. What you learn in meditation, practise in activity; do not allow anyone to draw you out of that calm state. Hold fast to your peace.”
“God tries to speak to His children through the voice of silence and peace in response to their prayers, but His voice is usually drowned out by the sensory telephones of the senses and the noisy clamour of sensations and thoughts awakened by memory. When God finds His devotee busy with the switchboard of sensations, with attention caught up in restlessness, God's voice sadly withdraws into the depths of silence.”
“Until you have built a temple of silence within yourself, until you have broken down the walls of habit built around you by your surroundings, you will never behold the glory of God or experience real and lasting joy.”
“The Sustainer of this universe is knocking at the doors of your heart, seeking to enter through the gateways of silence and create within you a garden of happiness.”
Make the most of this retreat to practise “the art of silence” intensely (in Paramahansa Yogananda's words).