Thich Nhat Hanh, God bless him (the greatest man alive, in my humble opinion) suggests in one of his lovely little books, that at least once a month each of us take a day of enforced solitude – stay inside, no visitors, no telephone, no TV or radio, no computer, no books, no music, just thee and thy navel, relaxing into the passage of time, as always marked by the breath. I would also add no food – why not? I have only tried it a few times, but each time, by the end of the day (punctuated with leisurely bouts of taiji) I am so calm yet awake, and the living space is fizzing with a gentle spirit.