Silent Solstice Digital Detox - A Meditation & Healing Reset
WHEN:
December 13-18, 2026
WHERE:
Mandali Retreat Center
Lake Orta, Italy
TEACHERS:
Evangelos Diavolitsis
and Nishta Matarese
TO REGISTER:
There are moments in life when something ends… and something else has not yet begun. This is the threshold. At the winter solstice—the deepest point of darkness and the quiet turning toward light—we invite you to step out of the noise and into this sacred in-between. To unplug from the outer world and the inner commentary that keeps you busy, distracted, and disconnected.
What begins as a pause becomes a crossing:
from doing into being, from control into trust.
Why is unplugging from the world necessary?
As you unplug, you may first encounter the restless mind—the planning, the replaying, the subtle tension of trying to hold life together. This is where the real work begins. Through meditation, conscious movement, and contemplative practices, you will learn not only to disconnect from external stimulation, but to gently release the inner voice that narrates and distorts your experience. In the space that opens, something else becomes available: a quiet, steady presence—clear, compassionate, and deeply alive.
Change is not the problem. Resistance to change is. This retreat is a living laboratory for meeting transitions with awareness, grace, and courage. Through periods of silence, nervous system reset, nature immersion, and authentic human connection, you will explore impermanence, soften your grip on identity, and rediscover the intelligence of the body and heart. You will learn how to stand in the unknown without collapsing—how to move with life as it unfolds.
HOW WE WORK:
Daily Meditation and Dharma (Wisdom) Dialogues / Talks with Q & A.
2 days of social silence and digital detox.
Conscious Movement, Nature Hikes, Somatic Releases + 3 optional yoga classes
Dynamic Inquiry, Breath work & Insight practice
Healing arts & creative contemplative projects
Personal time to integrate your process
Takeaway Skills
You will leave with more than rest. You will leave with a new orientation to the beauty of change itself. Equipped with practical tools to regulate your system, create healthy boundaries with technology, and return to presence in the midst of life’s demands, you step back across the threshold—clearer, steadier, and more open to possibility. This is not an escape from life. It is a training in how to live it—with grace.
Reserve your spot now and embrace the opportunity to unplug, for in the silence and stillness, you'll find the wisdom and strength to flourish in this unpredictable and quickly paced world.
We look forward to meeting you in person and embarking on a powerful journey into wholeness, health and clarity.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
Ideal for people struggling with burnout and year-end exhaustion.
Anyone who wants a taste of silence and being free of digital distractions
Those who seek to understand and heal their inner world.
Visionaries, leaders, and cultural creatives wanting to recalibrate and fortify.
Anyone who needs to shake up the status quo of their life.
Professionals or couch potatoes looking for a practice that is more easily integrated in the modern world.
Anyone having difficulty making decisions and lacking in direction of what’s next.
What are the practicalities of a digital detox in this retreat?
One of the greatest gifts you can offer yourself is the opportunity to unplug.
To cultivate new neural pathways that support greater freedom, clarity, and presence, we must temporarily step away from the technologies that constantly pull our attention resulting in mental fragmentation. This retreat invites you to rest in being, rather than the habit of always doing.
During the retreat, you will be asked to disconnect from the digital world by handing in your phone for a period of time, staying off social media, refraining from taking photographs, avoiding books, movies, computers, and other digital distractions.
Again and again, participants tell us that this digital fast becomes one of the most rewarding aspects of the retreat. As the nervous system settles, a natural sense of ease, clarity, and peaceful presence begins to emerge.
Please note: This retreat is not suitable for those who need to attend business meetings, remain connected to work, or stay in regular contact with family and friends during the retreat.
Arrival Day
14.00 - 17:30 Arrivals - Free Time - Enjoy your own rhythm
17:30 - 19:00 Open Session
19:00 - 20:00 Dinner
20:30 - 22.00 Evening Session
Daily Schedule
07:45 - 08:30 Session 1
08:30 - 09:30 Breakfast (in Silence)
10:30 - 12:30 Session 2
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch
15:00 - 17:00 Session 3
17:00 - 17:30 Tea Break
17.30 - 18.45 Yoga (optional)
19:00 - 20:00 Dinner
20:30 - 21.30 Session 4
* Mid week integration - half day off - no activities
Departure Day
07:45 - 08:30 Session 1
08:30 - 09:30 Breakfast (in Silence)
By 10:00 Check Out
10:30 - 12:30 Closing Session
12:30 - 13:30 Lunch
14:00 - Departure
Schedule subject to change - final program shared on the first day.
** To be fully available for the program - Please clear your working calendar before arrival. * we will have a two-day period of total social silence *
Accommodation - Included:
Workshop, Material and Teaching Fee
Accommodation for 5 nights
Coffee/tea/snack service daily at 5pm
All meals (vegetarian)
Herbal teas, coffee, and fresh fruit throughout the day
Filtered water + in-room tea service
Spa facilities (swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room)
Excluded:
Travel cost to Mandali Retreat Center
Optional massages
Local Taxes