SURPRISE
The Zen Zone is our column or well-being bubble on the HO KARAN blog, where inspiring personalities tell about their wellness rituals. After having exchanged with Charlotte, the founder of the Parisian hotel HOY (where is the No Stress Studio) Fanny the chef of Parsley and Mimosa or Leah from Yogascope, we meet Jeanne, the founder of the SILENCE retreats and workshop.
TA hybrid therapist at the service of freedom and awakening consciences, Jeanne has found peace in silence, her ally for a long time. Three years ago, Eele decided to give it back its place and to democratize it to as many people as possible by founding the movement SILENCE.A unique protocol through workshops and retreats so that everyone can gain the keys to a more peaceful life.
What is your relationship to well-being?
For me, wellness is as much about the body as it is about the mind. It starts with getting to know each other, in order to know what is really good for us. It is above all our environment, the places, the surroundings and the energies that surround us. And then it's what we consume, in terms of cultural or digital content, food and hygiene. It is a way of thinking, a form of gentleness towards oneself and others.
For me, the most present sources of well-being are: my relationships (people sincere, benevolent and good vibes), contact with nature, the daily practice of meditation, yoga or sport, and of course hygiene and natural food.
This initially involves a form of discipline to find our needs, which brings us well-being: getting information, working on ourselves, making choices, establishing routines. Then, when you adopt it, this "art of living" becomes completely natural.
What are the rituals that comfort you the most in winter?
Hot yoga, homemade herbal teas, hot baths with petals or relaxing oils, lighting lots of candles in the face of the lack of winter light.
The holistic practice that changed your life?
Shamanic work, and of course the practice of silence.
Why did you launch the Silence retreats?
Silence had been my personal ally for a long time already, it was while discovering the desert that I fell in love with this infinite silence. My click to organize the first stay was a VIpassana retreat, wonderful but harsh. It's about 10 days in silence in fairly military conditions. I came out transformed, the effects blew me away.
On my return, I wanted to democratize this practice of silence to give it a "pleasure" dimension, by making it accessible to all. Pleasant retreats, beautiful places of nature, well-being activities... This is how the Silence stays were born, and the effects are just as amazing as the hundreds of silencers testify.
How did you learn about silence?
As a child, I liked to get away from the hustle and bustle and everything that I didn't understand in this world (a lot of things!). I preferred contact with animals, the forest, often I swam as far as possible in the sea to float alone. Later, I discovered ashrams, followed by spiritual retreats. I have traveled a lot alone. I was looking for a disconnection through mountain walks, in the jungle, or the practice of scuba diving. I longed to be away from the noise. In 2016, I took part in a trek in the Moroccan desert with nomads: from sunrise to sunset, we walked in infinite silence. In the evening, we gathered around a fire, and we slept under the most beautiful starry sky. I had discovered a passion that seized me inside: to be able to extract myself, to be reconnected to the elements, to something bigger, in silence. I cultivated these silent bubbles more and more through the daily practice of meditation.
What is a silent retreat like?
Silence stays are initiatory retreats, accessible to all, during which silence is practiced continuously. Over several days, the speakers talk to guide the group through the workshops and courses (Yoga, meditation, forest baths, Qigong, creative workshops, etc.). All in a pleasant setting, surrounded by nature.
This unique experience invites happy sobriety. Stopping toxic substances (alcohol, tobacco, drugs), a vegetarian, local and organic diet. We invite digital disconnection, source of a feeling of deep freedom. This practice detoxifies the body and the mind and allows you to relearn how to contemplate nature, raise your eyes from screens to better connect to nature, awakening your senses.
Is it accessible to everyone? The shy, the extroverts, the beginners at the level of holistic and spiritual practices, the more or less young?
Yes absolutely, silence puts everyone on an equal footing, it smooths out the differences in a group, because once the word is paused, it is energies and the non-verbal that take over and it is a completely different harmony. All ages yes, the silencers are between 17 and 75 years old!
How do we live this experience in the present moment?
Even if it happens that some people arrive at the retreats with anguish or apprehension, because silence is unknown, generally everyone is at ease there. There is nothing complicated about silence, on the contrary it is a re-discovery with oneself, with one's essence, with the simplicity of life. At the end of the silent period, we exchange, for the most part, they would have stayed longer in this “suspended moment”
What are the benefits that can be drawn from it in the long term?
The silent testify to having deeply felt the virtues of silence - at the same time soothing, liberating and purifying. We gain in clarity, in creativity, we create space when we move away from incessant stimuli. Silence unties emotional knots, creates alignment... After such a stay, some decide to reorient their lives. These retreats are more than a parenthesis, they sow an art of living.
How to extend the experience at home in our hectic daily lives?
One of the first things I would advise, and which may seem insurmountable for some, is digital disconnection. Our connected objects are wonderful tools, but they take up too much space. We are then no longer available to listen to ourselves, others or nature.
In our daily life, we tend to fill our days with actions. Many people are absorbed in the rhythm of their lives, be it the work, the information received, the screens, the media, the noises... All this overloads the body and the mind, it is essential to take time to do nothing. Meditation is a wonderful tool to be in stillness, to enter into oneself and to calm the mind! Silence is both the starting point of all spiritual practice and also the companion, the goal of the quest. Silence is a resource that belongs to all of us.
The fact of living a collective experience with other people encourages this global and profound movement to evolve towards a virtuous, more serene and greener world. We transmit principles such as listening, non-judgment, humility that invite you to move forward on a path of alignment and happiness.
Is CBD part of your routine?
I take it when I have painful periods, not every day. On the other hand, I gave it to my mother who had sleep problems and it's been much better since!
The 3 essential treatments in your routine? (rather beauty)
I do very little and hardly ever wear makeup, but every day I use an Iris day cream, rose floral water and aloe vera gel all over my body. At HO KARAN, I love the anti-bad vibes spray Life in Green, I use it at home and in retreats, at the end of my Yoga practice, for example during savasana, its smell is invigorating and soothing.
An anti-stress advice that is easy to apply on a daily basis?
Reconnect with yourself, to reconnect with the origin of what you are and detach yourself from the mind. Everyone has their own method, for some it will be music, others need to put their houses in the ground, or to sit in silence... Ah, and I forgot, go see this video which sums up our whole state of mind!
TO DISCOVER :
The relaxation duo, consisting of the OKLM candle and our CBD infusion, for a suspended moment