NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers completes 鈥榙arkness retreat,鈥� ESPN reports
Green Bay Packers quarterback has completed his 鈥渄arkness retreat鈥� in Oregon, according to ESPN.
Scott Berman, owner of Sky Cave Retreats, told ESPN鈥檚 Xuan Thai that the four-time MVP spent 鈥渟everal days and nights鈥� at the Ashland, Oregon facility.
CNN has reached out to Rodgers and Berman for comment.
On Feb. 14, Rodgers revealed his previously announced retreat would start later that week. He said his time in isolation would help him find inner peace of mind.
鈥淚鈥檓 probably going to have a better sense of where I鈥檓 at in my life,鈥� Rodgers said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 say, 鈥業鈥檓 going to my darkness retreat just to figure out if I鈥檓 going to play next year or retire.鈥欌�
as to what the future holds for the 39-year-old quarterback.
鈥淚鈥檝e got a pretty cool opportunity to do a little self-reflection in some isolation, and then after that, I feel like I鈥檒l be a lot closer to a final, final decision,鈥� Rodgers said during his regular appearance on 鈥淭he Pat McAfee Show鈥� earlier this month.
Rodgers said he would be in total darkness for four days and nights 鈥� though he could leave at any point if he wishes to do so 鈥� and added that the whole experience can produce hallucinations similar to the psychedelic drug dimethyltryptamine (DMT).
鈥淚t鈥檚 a darkness retreat,鈥� he said, adding that it鈥檚 something he鈥檚 wanted to do for years. 鈥淚鈥檝e had a number of friends who鈥檝e done it and had some profound experiences.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just sitting in isolation, meditation, dealing with your thoughts,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t stimulates DMT, so there can be some hallucinations in there, but it鈥檚 just kind of sitting in silence, which most of us never do.
鈥淲e rarely even turn our phone off or put the blinds down to sleep in darkness. I鈥檓 really looking forward to it.鈥�
Rodgers has previously discussed using ayahuasca 鈥� a psychedelic drink made of Amazonian plants 鈥� in a retreat during an offseason, and the NFL has confirmed this didn鈥檛 violate its drug policy.
According to the Sky Cave Retreats website, Berman has 鈥渟upported and facilitated over 300 dark retreats鈥� at the facility.
ESPN鈥檚 Thai reports that Rodgers stayed in a small cabin 鈥� a 鈥減artially underground, Hobbit-like structure with 300 square feet of space, devoid of light, with a queen bed, a bathroom and a meditation-like mat on the floor.
It is fully powered, so at any point, the lights can be turned on from inside the room.鈥�
Rodgers would have been left alone throughout with the exception of a once-a-day visit. According to the company鈥檚 website, 鈥渨ith the exception of us coming to tend to your material needs once a day from outside your room, you will be totally undisturbed in the darkness until the end of your retreat.鈥�
When asked earlier this month about the prospect of retirement, Rodgers said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a real thing, 100 percent.鈥�
CNN鈥檚 Amy Woodyatt contributed to this report