Our Practices

At Senda Loto, you can expect an enriching and transformative experience that we hope will change your life for the better. We limit our guests to a maximum of 9 people at a time, so that everyone receives the attention and space they need to have the best retreat possible.

Buddhist Meditation

In the Buddhist tradition, vipassana—or insight meditation—is the heart of awakening. It is the practice of deeply seeing the true nature of our experience, moment by moment, with clarity and openness.

Vipassana invites us to observe thoughts, sensations, and emotions without judgment or clinging, revealing their impermanent and interconnected nature. Through this clear seeing, we begin to understand how the sense of a fixed, separate self is an illusion, opening the way to freedom.

Vipassana is not an intellectual exercise, but a direct, experiential insight into reality as it is—free from mental constructs. It gently uncovers habitual patterns of grasping and aversion that cause suffering, allowing us to let go and rest in a natural clarity of awareness.

At Senda Loto, we teach vipassana as preserved within the Dudjom Tersar lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, supported by practices of samatha (calm abiding) to cultivate stability and focus. Together, these practices balance gentle calm with mindful inquiry, opening the door to true awakening and lasting peace.

Hatha Yoga

At Senda Loto, we offer a daily guided Hatha Yoga practice designed to nurture inner balance, deepen self-awareness, and invite a greater sense of presence. Each session is a gentle yet powerful journey into the body and breath, where we learn to move with intention and rest in stillness. Our practice emphasizes conscious breathing and the mindful exploration of physical postures—or asanas—to awaken the body’s natural flow of energy, known in yogic traditions as prana or lung in tibetan. As this energy begins to move more freely, we start to release layers of physical tension, quiet the mental noise, and soften deeper emotional or energetic blockages that may be held within. Rooted in the classical teachings of India and Tibet, our approach to yoga goes beyond fitness or flexibility. It is a path of inner alignment—a way to harmonize body, mind, and spirit, and reconnect with the quiet wisdom that already lives within us. “Mind is eclipsed by many different obscurations; if they are removed, mind’s fundamental nature, like the sun shining brightly in a clear, open sky, can manifest all the qualities of wisdom, compassion, and a Buddha’s abilities.” — Kalu Rinpoche

Noble Silence

In a world overflowing with noise, stimulation, and constant connection, Noble Silence offers a rare and sacred refuge. Rooted in the wisdom of many spiritual traditions—this practice invites us to pause all forms of verbal and non-verbal communication, creating space for something deeper to emerge.

At Senda Loto, we honor Noble Silence as a core part of the retreat experience. It is more than simply not speaking—it is a conscious act of stillness, a gentle turning inward that helps us tune into the subtle language of our inner world. Through silence, we begin to notice the intricacies of thought, sensation, and emotion with greater clarity and compassion.

As Thich Nhat Hanh beautifully reminds us, “Silence is essential. We need silence just as much as we need air, just as much as plants need light. If our minds are crowded with words and thoughts, there is no space for us.” Within this quiet container, we can witness the mind’s habits without judgment, soften our reactivity, and reconnect with the richness of the present moment.

Noble Silence is not a restriction, but a gift—an invitation to rediscover presence, humility, and the profound nourishment that lies in simply being.