Coming back home - silent retreat - Jaya Rudgard

This was my first experience of Oxford Insight Meditation Retreats and I wasn't sure what to expect. Jaya's bio had really appealed to me. So I made sure to arrive early even though I had feelings of uncertainty, I was still excited and keen to settle down for the day.
There was a meeting taking place in the hall so there was time for a short walk and a chat with some other early arriving attendees. We were welcomed whole heartedly with an introduction informing us of places for our belongings and lunch contributions, as well as a reminder to keep phones turned off to ensure complete down-time. To help everyone be prepared for the session we were invited to make ourselves a cup of tea before Jaya arrived.
The hall filled up quickly with a diverse group of people - some opting to sit on mats with cushions, meditation stools, bolsters, blocks and others sitting on chairs. Movement and chatter filled the room until Jaya took her place and made eye contact with all of us to connect. She was framed by vases of beautiful foxgloves and ferns which set the serene scene. After the housekeeping talk and introduction, we began practising Mindfulness under the gentle, thoughtful guidance of Jaya.
The morning went by very quickly with a couple of seated meditations interspersed with a walking practice and before I knew it, Jaya announced it was lunchtime which was very welcome as I had my breakfast early and my tummy was rumbling. I had noticed that others also had rumbling tummies so felt less embarrassed with mine making quite a noise! While the volunteers laid out all the tasty bowls of salads, quiches, falafels, dips, breads, etc. the rest of us practised mindful walking outside. I had an overwhelming urge to walk barefoot after Jaya had spoke about feeling your feet on the earth and having the sense of 'coming home' and re-connecting. At the sound of the Tibetan bowl we made our way back into the hall and queued in silence, waiting to help ourselves to the feast. The generosity that everyone showed by bringing a wide selection of vegan and vegetarian dishes was heart-warming. The colours, textures and smells of the salads were really vivid - red cabbage and artichoke hearts were particularly attractive. Initially I desired to talk but after a few minutes of really tasting my food it passed, as I found myself putting my glasses on so I could really see each individual morsel. I ate slowly, really savouring every mouth-full and also enjoyed a peppermint tea with some fruit, flapjack and chocolate brownie (a pleasant surprise treat). After lunch there was time to go outside whilst other volunteers washed the high piles of dirty plates in mindful silence. Initially I was concerned to see that 2 hours had been allowed for lunch and wondered how I would cope with being quiet whilst surrounded by so many people but I found the time passed quickly and it felt luxurious to have this much time to simply eat lunch and then relax in the sunshine.
The first afternoon practice was “loving-kindness” (metta) which Jaya led in such a gentle beautiful manner that when I did find my mind wandering I felt comfortable and capable to re-connect without judgement or criticism. The format of the day so far was to have a seated practice followed by walking, however, Jaya offered a Qigong session outside (walking or seated were also possibilities). I really enjoyed the Qigong – my body felt free and energised to be moving in a calm, flowing way after being in stillness. The sun was shining on us and practising in a group with trees, flowers and dandelion puffs floating in the air felt really special.
We ended the day with a completely silent meditation followed by forming trios to reflect on the day. Jaya suggested we just sat with each other before talking – this really did feel like the right thing to do, and surprisingly after being quiet for hours I was reluctant to break my silence.
During the lunch session I found myself jotting these lines:
Ladybird on a leaf
Dandelion puffs floating
Farmyard smells
Horn from a moped
Cherries forming
Red cabbage and onion
Children calling out
Brown, dried out holly leaf
People close-by yet silent
Damp, green grass underfoot
Piles of dirty plates
Maybe one day I'll form them into a poem.
I also noted these phrases from the day:
Is there spaciousness between thoughts, feelings, sensations or beneath them?
This body breathing, this earth breathing, trees breathing – taking breath from, giving breath to.
No boundary between body and space around it.
Nourishment from food and from awareness of it.
Moving from the control tower in your head to your body.
Seeds of well-being.

I highly recommend a silent retreat day as a way of connecting with and furthering your understanding of your inner self, whilst holding an awareness of the fellows around you with the aid of Jaya's compassionate guidance.
I definitely felt as if I had 'come back home'.
http://www.oxfordinsightmeditation.org/attending-retreats/retreat-programme-2018/