“To a mind that is still a whole universe surrenders”
- Lao Tgu
In a world full of outer distractions, our priority should always be to focus on our inner being before anything else. To become focused, one needs to be the awareness behind the body. To find that awareness, we must come to a point where our inner world is still. We repeat, the word is still, not silent. The simple answer to becoming still on the inside is to meditate and meditation retreats are a fantastic way to start this good habit.
Yes, we all have studied and learned about the benefits of meditation. However, not many of us find the discipline to sit with ourselves on a daily basis. It might not seem important to you but meditating for at least 40 mins shouldn’t be a choice anymore. The world that we live and work in has become more of a stress-creating machine that reeks of advantage from our deteriorating health. People nowadays are, however, awakening and educating themselves to break the pattern. This has inspired many people to break away from the regular cycle of stress, anxiety, and depression.
To end their toxic way of living and break the vicious cycle, people are now resorting to taking long pauses without feeling guilty about it. To unwind, many people try meditating at home but that rarely helps since most of us are not used to sitting still for a long time. Meditation also feels uncomfortable to many people in the beginning since it brings up all the emotional feelings that need compassion and healing. This is where a meditation retreat lead by an experienced teacher help.
Firstly, meditation retreats help you get out of your regular space of living and puts you in the middle of all mother nature where your healing and rejuvenation is accelerated.
Secondly, you learn the tricks and techniques to practice meditation effectively.
Finally, you really get into a meditative mood with like-minded people on a similar life quest as you. Even a week’s meditation retreat helps you establish this practice so that you continue with it after reaching home.
There are many more reasons to go on a meditation retreat and in this article, we shall take a deep dive into quite a few of them.
What is a meditation retreat?
Let’s start with the most asked question - what exactly is a meditation retreat?
Swami Vivekananda defined meditation as a process of self-appraisal of all thoughts to the mind. After this, he proceeded with the next step, which is to assert what we really are – existence, knowledge, and bliss – being, knowing, and loving – which would result in the unification of the subject and the object.
To a normal human being, meditation is simply quieting one’s mind and getting rid of any distractions and thus, learning the art of remaining calm and achieving inner peace. Once you start meditating regularly, you will know that meditation goes a lot deeper.
Meditation is a way of illumination through realization of the ‘Supreme.’ When you move beyond the confinements of an illusory world, you shall tap into the limitless bliss, power, and knowledge. You will understand the source energy and know that everything is consciousness and it is always connected.
"Talk to yourself once in a day, otherwise you may miss meeting an intelligent person in this world."
- Swami Vivekananda
However, the purpose of a meditation retreat is not to indulge in the depth of the teachings of meditation but help you experience the beauty of this limb of yoga. To put it simply, a meditation retreat is a way to help you break the toxic patterns of your regular life by spending time in a more spiritual or contemplative environment.
The first and foremost thing about a meditation retreat is its ambience, which highly contributes in the entire healing process of the participant. Thus, most meditation retreats take place amid a natural but stunning setting. So, if you are looking to book a good meditation retreat, then make sure that the place is surrounded by either mountain, forest, desert, river, lake or a beach – remember, nature is the key!
(image credits Bali Silent Retreat)
Another key factor to learn about a meditation retreat is that a good one will always serve you with sattvic, vegetarian, and/or vegan meals. The reason behind these meals is quite simple and understandable - they accelerate the process of your healing. Sattvic food relaxes your digestive organs and helps you become more active and less lethargic. Slowly, it releases all the toxins from your body and this naturally makes you feel better about yourself.
As for the activities, there are various techniques of meditation that are introduced in these retreats and your teacher, in many cases, helps you find the technique that works best for you.
Yoga asana classes are also a part of meditation retreats. Make the most of the asana practice by asking questions regarding the techniques of holding each asana. Many meditation retreats take place in yoga schools where you would find a library full of yoga books. You can spend some time reading about meditation and yoga and enhance your knowledge about this ancient art.
You can also get Ayurvedic massages and related activities that help in the complete relaxation of your body. Different retreats offer different packages to people but most retreats surely involve yoga, meals, excursions, outings, massages, one-on-one counselling with the instructors, and more.
A meditation retreat is your time away from your regular life and its routines. This alone makes you feel great about yourself and thus, you can expect great things to happen to you on a physical, emotional, and mental level.
Types of meditation retreats
If you are a beginner, then there are a variety of meditation retreats for you to join across the globe. If you are an intermediate and advanced level practitioner of meditation, then these retreats are definitely for you to enhance your practice.
To help you choose the same, here are some of the best types of meditation treats to learn about and attend –
- The basic meditation retreat – These types of meditation retreats are perfect for people who want to start their meditation practices. These retreats usually include in-person meditation, silent retreats, virtual retreats, etc. These retreats help you rejuvenate and allow your body to rest deeply and find a state of calm and composure within you.
- Vipassana meditation retreat – This one is a very specific style of silent meditation that has Buddhist roots and helps the person see things as they really are – without judgment or imagination. In comparison to other meditations, Vipassana is quite regulated in practice. This one is recommended for people who have been practising meditation for a while though beginners can join as well but, word of warning the difficulty level is quite high.
- Zen meditation retreat - A minimalistic meditation practise that involves focusing one’s attention on particular things, including sound, one’s own breath, etc while sitting in a proper posture. This one is known to have its roots in China where it was known as ‘chan.’ In south-east Asia, it came to be known as zen.
- Mindfulness meditation retreat – This meditation is also recommended for beginners who want to imbibe a technique to get rid of blocked energy in their body that results in stress, anxiety, and depression. This sacred form of meditation helps in creating deep awareness in the practitioner in the present moment without including any sort of judgement.
- Mantra meditation retreat – In this meditation, a sacred mantra or chant or affirmation replaces the unwanted thoughts in a person’s mind. Your mind has been trained to focus on one thing at a time, and thus, whenever a stressful thought arises, one can chant these affirmations on mantra to bring the awareness of their sacredness. Mantras are typically given by the teacher or instructor in these retreats. The chants also connect a person’s heart with their minds and feel the divine presence in and around them. This is a great meditation retreat for beginners as well.
- Transcendental meditation retreat - Introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the mid-1950s, transcendental meditation, also known as the TM technique, involves using mantra chanting for a minimum of 20 minutes twice a day. This technique is known for reducing stress and thus, relaxing the body of the practitioner in the most natural way. Once relaxed, your entire being will automatically enter a state of calmness. This mantra-based meditation is recommended to be learnt and practised under the guidance of a certified teacher in the beginning. Thus, you should book a meditation retreat that teaches this type of meditation in its course.
(image credits Ananda in the Himalayas)
What is the difference between a holiday and a meditation retreat?
Holidays are often about doing; meditation retreats are all about being – in nature and present moments. A retreat is a place, a program that helps you withdraw from your regular lives and just be aware of your body and mind as they heal and connect with your inner being.
A holiday also offers a break from your regular life, however, here you do not completely focus on your wellness but simply get busy having fun or try to relax for a while. In most cases, relaxation doesn’t happen since you are still programmed to stay attached to your regular life. In a retreat, you intentionally take steps that help you detach from everything else and stay in the present moment. Pretty good reason to go on a meditation retreat right?
Why should you go on a meditation retreat?
Here comes the backbone of this entire article, that is, why should you consider going on a meditation retreat? While the reasons for going on a meditation retreat can be many, we have listed some of the significant ones, below
- Learn meditation and deepen your practice – The main reason why you must develop the art of meditation is to connect with your true and inner self and deepen your practice by making it a habit. Whether you have meditated before or not, joining a retreat is always a good option for those seeking to learn various aspects of it and apply the same to their practice. Thankfully, there are many meditation retreats around the world that teach different meditation techniques to people to choose the one that suits them the best. Retreats offer guidance along with the space to connect with yourself instead of letting distractions take away the best of you. By the end of the meditation retreat, you will notice that you are breathing deeply, feeling calmer and connecting better with the energy around you. Meditation really does that to you and you cannot help but be grateful for deepening your practice. The positive effects of meditation naturally make people want to make this practice a habit and thus, they start meditating on a daily basis.
- Become aware of the self and check with oneself from time to time – Our regular lives do not let us sit in silence. This also means that all the traumas and emotions that weren’t addressed since our childhood never truly show up and thus, keeps all of us numb deep inside. This takes away our power to truly feel human emotions. This is the reason why we tend to run away from uncomfortable emotions rather than face them. During a meditation retreat, we get to sit with ourselves and allow the unprocessed emotions and stuck energy to come to the surface, so we can address them before releasing them. This brings a lot of mental as well as emotional clarity to individuals. The developed habit of meditation also brings our awareness of our minds and bodies, so we also learn to organize our thoughts, re-evaluate our lifestyle and improve ourselves on every level.
- Become in tune with nature – The best and most natural way to heal is to connect with mother nature. Most meditation retreats are nestled in the lap of mountains, forests or beaches, and thus, provide you complete access to soaking in the immense beauty of hills, waterfalls, oceans, meadows and trees. Most of us have chosen to spend our lives in urban cities where the bounty of nature is hard to find. This has also led to an increase in the number of anxiety, stress, and depression-related cases in people. The life force energy of nature, when connects with us, flows into our subtle body and helps us rejuvenate our mind and body. Surrounding ourselves with the abundance of nature also leads to the reduction of cortisol- the stress-inducing hormone. Everything about nature is healing and meditation retreats help us get closer to its positive energy.
- Get a much-needed and required digital detox – We spend hours staring at the screens of our smartphones and laptops without noticing the harmful effects that they have on our nervous system along with different parts of our bodies. To sum it up, technology drains us and we don’t even know it. No wonder the cases of anxiety and depression are growing by leaps and bounds during these times. Meditation retreats are a great way to unplug from these technological tools and breathe in the abundance of nature and high energy environments. Give your nervous system the break it deserves and apply mindfulness to your daily life. Even if you are doing a task as mundane as walking, do it with your full awareness. Stay in the present moment as much as you can and breathe deeply. Meditation helps you do the same – you will be grateful that you chose this practice and turned your life around.
- Learn the application of meditation in your daily life – Anyone can start meditating at home but proper training of meditation requires guidance from an experienced yoga and/or meditation instructor. Thus, it is recommended to join a meditation retreat for the same since you are taught all the tricks and techniques to learn how to use and apply meditation as a tool in your daily life and activities. A meditative mind can truly achieve the impossible – once you reach that state, you will know!
We hope the above reasons have answered “Why you must go on a meditation Retreat” and convince you to take a plunge and join one.
What to expect on a meditation retreat (if it’s your first time)
- Digital detox – In our regular lives, we spend a big chunk of our day staring at the screen of our laptops and smartphones. This retreat is a great way to take a break from it all. Taking a break from messaging, emails, social media, news, and TV, results in improved focus and helps you become more mindful with every passing day. Thus, meditation retreats allow you to recalibrate your nervous system and entire body.
- Open-minded approach – When you attend a meditation retreat, an open-minded approach works wonders for you. While you can ask questions about the techniques and other practices, it is quite enriching to learn new things with a clear and open mind. This will allow your body to remain positive and accept the meditation techniques that will heal your mind on a deeper level.
- People of all age groups – Do not be surprised when you notice that people of all ages and groups attend these meditation retreats. From an 18-year old kid to a 60-year old man/woman, there shall be all kinds of people who will learn the spectacular meditation and yoga techniques and reek the benefits of the same.
- Group vibe – Meditation is best done in solitude. However, these retreats will introduce to like-minded people who will only contribute in accentuating your meditative energy by practicing meditation along with you. While the entire badge performs meditation and other practices together, deepening the same is entirely the part of your personal journey.
- Intense yet easy-going programs and workshops – A good meditation retreat will not hesitate to indulge you intense techniques and practices related to meditation and yoga. However, this also means that the programs and routines designed by the retreat will also be easy-going since the organizers are completely aware of the body and mental strength of the participants. So, do not worry and relax, you will thoroughly enjoy the retreat.
- Healing and nourishing meals – Most meditation retreats serve sattvic meals to the participants in order to help them heal from within. When you eat nourishing food, your body will have no other reason but to flourish. All the good meditation treats offer vegetarian and/or vegan food only to completely help you heal on a mental, emotional, and physical level. Remember, you are what you eat!
Now that the mystery has been unveiled and you are aware of what goes it’s time to convince yourself and hear your inner voice Must go on a meditation Retreat!
Typical Schedule at a Meditation Retreat
Most meditation retreats start with welcoming the participants with a welcome drink and guiding them with the program schedule as well as accommodating them well. Once that’s done, an orientation program takes place. Many retreats also perform the fire ceremony to welcome the positive energy into the program.
Most retreats start the day at 6 AM or 7 AM. Then, the classes of yoga and meditation take place with tea breaks in between. Most meditation retreats serve meals at least three times a day. After two classes of meditation and yoga, one can eat breakfast. Once it is done, another class takes place and this is followed by lunch and then, some resting time. During this time, people also set out to explore nearby places. Once the last class is over, people have their dinner and by 10 PM, the lights are off.
However, this is a common schedule of yoga and meditation retreats. They may vary according to the program designed at different centres. Many centres also introduce massage, Pilates, Tai-chi, mantra chanting and other cleansing activities in their schedules.
Frequently asked questions about Meditation Retreats
How long can you stay in a meditation retreat?
There is no calculated time to stay at a meditation retreat. Many meditation retreats last for one or two days while many go on for as long as 15 days, or more. It is common for people to choose a week or two week’s retreat in order to establish a practice of meditation in their daily lives. However, it is entirely your choice to book a retreat depending on your schedule and the amount of time you have.
What to bring to a meditation retreat?
Most meditation retreats provide their participants with all the needed accessories, apart from clothes and personal belongings. You can pack loose and comfortable clothes, creams, face wash, body wash, soap, bed sheets, books to read, combs, make-up, shoes, etc while going to the retreat. You are provided with rooms, bed linens, yoga mats, journals, pens, etc at the retreat. Even so, it is advisable to check with the centre about the same before you make your reservations.
Who should go on a meditation retreat?
Meditation retreats are for everyone to attend and improve their quality of life. From an 18-year old teenager to a 70-year old person, anyone can come and be a part of these retreats. All you need is a little faith in you that you are investing in yourself to better your life and connect deeply with your highest self. Those who want to begin their meditation practice and those who want to deepen their practice can and should the meditation retreat of their choice.
How do you feel after a meditation retreat?
After the end of a good meditation retreat, people usually feel very centred and rejuvenated. Many of them get a clarity of mind like they have never before. For the first-timers, meditating on a daily basis gets them connected to something deep within themselves, in a way, like they had never before. As for the practitioners of meditation, it allows them to navigate in those corners of their minds that they didn’t know existed. People are able to understand their brains better and also order their brains to accept their command and put things into order. Overall, the experience is rejuvenating, recharging, and quite liberating for people.
How do you know meditation is working?
The simplest way to understand that meditation is working is to know that it will work wonders for you and that you are doing it. Instead of dealing with a wide flurry of thoughts, you will naturally start organizing them inside your head or by writing them all down. After the end of the retreat, you must start checking your body, or become aware of it and its movements. If you are always moving around, fidgeting, fiddling with something all the time, moving your legs when doing a task, etc, you will notice that once your retreat is over and you continue with meditation, these activities will start disappearing since you will slowly gain control over your anxious brain. This is a sign that your meditation is working.
Is it okay to fall asleep during meditation?
It is quite common to feel sleepy or fall asleep at the time of meditation. There is no one reason why you fall asleep during meditation. Many people find it so relaxing that the deep breaths help them de-stress and release feel-good hormones that tend to make them drowsy.
Most people who attend the retreat are sleep-deprived due to their life-cycle, high stress, insomnia, and other reasons. When they meditate, its calming effects help them fall asleep. In this case, one should usually allow themselves to sleep without questioning themselves. It is good for your brain and body.
It is only natural to feel a bit sleepy when you have never meditated before or deal with a lot of stress every day or simply are in need of recharging your entire body and mind. The active brain waves at the time of meditation (especially if you are a beginner) are similar to early stages of sleep.
With time, you will improve and as your body rejuvenates, you will be falling into the state of trance and not sleep. Just keep going!
“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life; dream of it; think of it; live on that idea. Let the brain, the body, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, and this is the way great spiritual giants are produced.”
- Swami Vivekananda
