tamhonkhoe.comStoicism 2 – Week 3: The inner retreat
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This week: write yourself two very short principles, then three times a day pause for 2 minutes to "retire inward" and silently read those two lines. In the evening, note which times you managed it.
Measurable goal: at least 3 inner retreats a day, on at least 5 of 7 days.
1. Traditional teaching
[Traditional teaching] Stoicism teaches that peace of mind does not lie in an outside place, but in how the mind is ordered. Marcus Aurelius (121–180), Roman emperor, wrote these notes for himself, not for publication.
Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains; and thou too art wont to desire such things very much. But this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men, for it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself. For nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom from trouble does a man retire than into his own soul, particularly when he has within him such thoughts that by looking into them he is immediately in perfect tranquillity; and I affirm that tranquillity is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind. Constantly then give to thyself this retreat, and renew thyself; and let thy principles be brief and fundamental, which, as soon as thou shalt recur to them, will be sufficient to cleanse the soul completely, and to send thee back free from all discontent with the things to which thou returnest.
At the end of the section, he picks out two principles to keep at hand:
This then remains: Remember to retire into this little territory of thy own, and above all do not distract or strain thyself, but be free, and look at things as a man, as a human being, as a citizen, as a mortal. But among the things readiest to thy hand to which thou shalt turn, let there be these, which are two. One is that things do not touch the soul, for they are external and remain immovable; but our perturbations come only from the opinion which is within. The other is that all these things, which thou seest, change immediately and will no longer be; and constantly bear in mind how many of these changes thou hast already witnessed. The universe is transformation: life is opinion.
Reading it in context
- Marcus is not against holidays. He says we do not depend on a holiday to find calm; "retiring into thyself" is something short, after which we go back to our work.
- [Traditional teaching] His two principles connect to two disciplines: "perturbations come from opinion" is the discipline of judgement (Week 2); "all things change" is the discipline of desire, because we cling less to what will not last.
- In the middle of the section (not quoted), Marcus offers two possibilities: the universe is ordered by providence, or it is only atoms. He does not ask the reader to choose; his advice works under either view.
- [Expert judgement] "Retiring inward" here means recalling a few principles, not a meditation technique from another tradition. This week’s exercise lasts only 2 minutes each time.
2. What science finds
- [Verified] A meta-analysis of 47 randomised trials (3,515 people) found that mindfulness meditation programmes reduce anxiety and depression by a small-to-moderate amount, but are no better than other active treatments. (Goyal et al. 2014)
- [Inference] The programmes in that analysis lasted many weeks, had instructors, and differ from this exercise. Their results only suggest that pausing on purpose may help a little; they do not prove Marcus’ method.
Limits: we have not found a study that evaluates the Stoic habit of recalling short principles as such.
3. Practice for adults
20–25 minutes a day in total.
- Read and write two lines (10 minutes, first day). Read both passages. Write two principles of your own, each under 12 words. You can lean on Marcus, for example: "What upsets me is my thought, not the event" and "This too will change". Copy them onto your phone or a slip of paper.
- Retire inward (3 × 2 minutes, during the day). Choose three fixed moments, for example before lunch, on arriving at work, on getting home. Sit or stand still, breathe normally, and silently read your two principles slowly twice. Then return to what you were doing.
- Evening journal (10 minutes). Note: how many times you retired inward today, and when; which time helped; whether a principle needs rewording to fit better.
- Tick it. At the end of the week, count the days with at least 3 retreats; the goal is at least 5 of 7.
4. Kids' corner 6+
Game: "A quiet corner inside" (5 minutes, with an adult)
- Ask the child: "Where do you feel most calm and comfortable?" (a corner of the room, grandma’s garden, the beach...)
- Invite the child to close their eyes or look at the floor, imagine being in that place, and count 5 breaths together with the adult.
- Open your eyes and ask: "Can you take that quiet corner with you? When would you like to go there?"
- Suggest the child give the quiet corner a name.
If the child doesn’t want to close their eyes, they don’t need to. If the child feels scared or uncomfortable, stop.
5. Stop practising if
- You feel panic, have flashbacks of trauma, have a lasting sense that you or the world are "not real", lose sleep for several nights, or have thoughts of harming yourself.
- "Retiring inward" becomes a way of avoiding tasks or people you need to face. Then cut down to once a day.
- People with a history of psychosis, bipolar disorder or severe PTSD should ask a doctor before practising for more than 20 minutes a day.
- If so, stop and see Get help now.
6. Foundation skills on daynentang
For another very short way to pause using the breath, daynentang has a lesson on naming feelings and slowing the breath: Gọi tên cảm xúc, thở chậm (in Vietnamese).
7. Practice for today
Write your two principles. Before sleeping, read them silently once.
Science sources
- Goyal M, et al. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 174(3), 357–368. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13018
Scripture sources
- Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Meditations) – George Long (Public domain) · link