What Happens When You Spend 10 Days in Silence
James Ito
Feb 20, 2026
9 min read
A first-hand account of a Vipassana-inspired silent retreat in the Portuguese countryside — and why it changed everything.
I'll be honest: the idea of ten days of silence terrified me. No phone, no eye contact, no small talk — just me, my breath, and the voices in my head. By day three, I was convinced I'd made a terrible mistake. By day seven, something shifted. And by day ten, I emerged feeling lighter than I had in years.