Want a really good return on investment? Meditation is perfect. You do nothing, and you’re rewarded with wide-ranging health benefits.
So imagine what rewards you might accrue from not just one session of meditation, but a period of time where meditation is your main focus in life. A meditation retreat might be something to consider, especially if life is all too much or feels a bit out of control.
What is Meditation?
Generally, we juggle many thoughts at one time, none of them getting our whole attention. We eat while talking on the mobile, directing the children and listening to the television. Can you remember the last time you talked to someone and felt you had their full and undivided attention?
Meditation is a process of quieting the mind and focusing on a single thought at one time. You get back that ability to be fully present to what’s happening at the present moment.
Meditation practice ranges through spiritual or religious to completely neutral single-pointed focus on an object, sound or thought.
Many professionals like bank managers and shop assistants have meditation as part of their everyday routine, so despite what many people think, you don’t have to do weird things like sitting cross-legged on top of mountains in order to meditate.
Why Do I Need a Meditation Retreat?
A meditation retreat is the ultimate ‘you time’. There’s nothing else required of you but to focus on whatever outcome you’re looking for. When life is full to the brim, and ever more stressful, there’s little opportunity to get off the treadmill and make changes. Going to a retreat takes you out of the daily grind, and offers that time you so badly need.
Scientific studies have shown that meditation has huge health benefits. It affects body chemistry, blood pressure, breathing and metabolism, and reduces the production of stress hormones. Most people would be glad to possess a tool that allows them to be in control of their stress levels, and a meditation retreat can kick-start that for you. And all as a result of doing nothing!
What Happens at a Meditation Retreat?
Retreats vary greatly in what is offered, and you can choose something to match your particular needs. There’s usually a focus on health, so yoga and fresh vegetarian or organic food are common components.
- Health retreats provide meditation as either an add-on or a separate package, along with exercise, diet and pampering. These are good for absolute beginners because the shock to the body/mind is not so great. You get a good idea of the possibilities available to you.
- A Yoga meditation retreat will have a focus on yoga as a way into meditation. They are often geared to people with little experience of yoga, though at least a little flexibility will be an advantage since your body will be getting quite a lot of stretching.
- Vipassana (pronounced ve-pash-na) is one of the best known meditation retreats. It’s a 10 day silent retreat that leaves you understanding a lot more about yourself than you’d find out in half a lifetime otherwise. No special skills required because all it involves is eating, meditating and sleeping, with an occasional lecture.
It’s incredibly liberating when you don’t have to talk for that period of time, though the very idea will freak some people out. But it takes out so many of life’s risks – you can’t offend anyone, you won’t hurt anyone and there’s no blame. No phones, TV or newspapers completes this idyllic picture.
Making a meditation retreat is part of the annual calendar for many people, especially those with highly stressful lives. A retreat doesn’t have to be for a long period – it can be as short as ½ day if that’s what works for you.
The important thing is to tune into our own mind and body for even a tiny moment on a regular basis, so we can improve our consciousness of the moment, and allow the opportunity to function at our full capacity.
Find a meditation retreat in your local area.
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Do you love Meditation? Would you like to turn this love for Meditation into a rewarding career? Then maybe you want to check out the these Meditation courses available all over Australia. Or maybe other Natural Therapy Courses that may be of interest to you. Why not let us help you find the right course for you today! |
