By Denise Everheart | Posted : September 29, 2020
There truly is no better vacation than a meditation retreat. Yep, I just said that! Unbelievable? For me and thousands of others across the U.S., it is very true. I have attended more than 60 meditation retreats during my 25+ years with the Art of Living Foundation. You could call me an expert meditation retreatant! Here’s everything you want to know about choosing a meditation retreat for yourself.
First thing first: decide your goal and budget
You can choose a meditation retreat based on your personal meditation goals: enhancing your meditation practice, being in solitude or in silence, giving yourself a digital detox or complete body-mind detox, deepening your spiritual journey, achieving higher state consciousness, or even learning a meditation practice. Once you are clear about your goals, the other parameters to think about are—your budget and how many days you can take off. Depending upon your goal, your budget, and the time available, you could either choose a shorter duration or longer duration retreat- a few hours or a few days, even as long as 30 days or more! If your budget allows, it is a great idea to disconnect yourself with your daily routine and fully immerse yourself into a meditation experience in beautiful natural and quiet surroundings of mountains or beaches. But if your budget is tight, even a virtual retreat can serve a good purpose.
Basic types of meditation retreats
In-person meditation retreats. This retreat is often at a retreat center itself but could include pop-up retreats at hotels and even convention centers. Having attended retreats at both retreat centers and convention centers, I can say it is worthwhile to pursue a meditation retreat nestled in nature’s bounty but I have also had deeply profound meditative experiences when the venue was in a busy city. In-person retreats can be either a residential retreat or non-residential where you travel to and from the venue and home, spending your day at the meditation center and nights sleeping at home.
Virtual meditation retreats. Meditating online is where it is happening these days! You can enjoy a meditation retreat right from the comfort of your very own home. And your favorite foods are always served!
Silent retreats. Although many meditation retreats do incorporate some time spent in silence, a silent retreat whether in person or online gives a deeper, more profound experience with the majority of the time being in meditative silence. This retreat is my favorite and I make sure to attend 2- 3 each year as a body-mind-spirit tune-up!
Do-It-Yourself meditation retreats. If you have never done a retreat before this is probably not the best choice, especially if you are doing one at home as opposed to one at a religious or wellness retreat center. With that said, anyone can do a digital detox home retreat. Disconnecting from the busy-ness of daily life and spending more time with yourself can be helpful when a meditation retreat isn’t possible.
General benefits of a meditation retreat
Deep rest and rejuvenation
Healing for body, mind, and spirit
Dissolves old deep accumulated stresses
Gain perspective and a new lease on life
More mindfulness and awareness happens naturally
Joy increases and multiplies
Long-lasting results
Mini meditation retreats
If you are a newbie, looking for learning how to meditate and then practice on your own on a daily basis, here are two budget-friendly options:
SKY Breath Meditation. SKY is a powerful, yet easy breathing meditation technique that can be learned in just a few hours over 3 days and gives you a home practice you can use daily. Utilizing this breathwork practice takes you to the door of meditation itself. At the end of the mini-retreat participants report feeling less stressed, more calm, focused, and optimistic, everything you could want from a mini-retreat, and more!
Sahaj Samadhi Meditation. Sahaj means effortless and Samadhi means meditation. This is a mantra-based meditation technique that trains your conscious mind to experience the silent depths of your own nature. To learn Sahaj Samadhi takes just 2 hours a day for 3 days and gives you immediate, tangible, and cumulative results. A fully trained meditation instructor guides you through the whole process and you go home with your very personal meditation technique.
Both these short duration meditation courses are available in a virtual set up from your home, in-person set-up and also in retreat set up. I recommend you join the Beyond Breath online intro session to get more information.
What typically happens on a longer-duration meditation retreat?
Some retreats are less structured and rely on you already having a meditation technique. Others like the Art of Living Silent Retreat utilize specific guided meditations along with a structure that supports you during your time of retreat and ensures you have the best experience possible.
Depending on the type most meditation retreats also include a little yoga and breathwork each day as well as some time to go for a walk, hopefully in a beautiful, serene environment. With meditation being a sitting practice it is especially good to have purposeful breaks and keep the body from becoming stiff. Breathwork also helps you prepare for your meditation practice.
Most meditation retreats favor a lighter, healthier, and often a plant-based menu due to the lengthy time it takes to digest heavier, non-veg foods- which also helps reduce the chances of falling asleep during meditation itself. Some retreat centers serve meals prepared by kitchen staff and others use a seva approach. Seva, a Sanskrit term, means selfless service- something you do without looking for anything in return. You could find yourself joyfully chopping veggies on a break to be used for the next meal of the day.
Evenings could include watching videos with spiritual wisdom, Q & A sessions with the teacher, and sometimes even chanting. Most meditation retreats will have you in bed before 10 pm for even more rest so you can wake up refreshed and ready for an early morning meditation session and yoga to start the day.
What is a silent retreat like?
People often share that they don’t think they could do a silent meditation retreat. That might be true for a first-timer attempting to do a longer retreat. Built further upon the SKY Breath Meditation, the beauty of the Art of Living Silent Retreat is the care taken to ease you into silence and is generally just 3-4 days over a weekend. It offers unique and exclusive guided meditations called Hollow and Empty Meditations which easily take you into a deeper meditation experience.
There is a certain Grace that happens when a group of people come together, in-person or online, meditating in silence and creating peace. The process is quite profound and leaves you feeling renewed in ways no traditional vacation can.
Research on silence has shown that even a few hours of silence helps to develop new brain cells, overcome trauma and painful memories, and the brain starts to process information differently and seamlessly. To know more about the Silent Retreat, join the Power of Silence-a FREE online intro session now.
DIY meditation retreats
As mentioned earlier, if you are new to the retreat experience and meditation itself, it is better to do a guided retreat with a trained meditation teacher. Doing a meditation retreat on your own may not give you a deep experience and only lead to frustration. If you still want to want to try doing a meditation retreat on your own here’s a quick checklist:
Let your family know you won’t be available for the given time
Set up your meditation space including a chair and yoga mat
Plan out your meals and shop in advance
Decide what kind of meditation practice you want to do
Have any recorded meditations ready to go
Make a schedule for you to follow
Mute your phone and take a vow to honor the time with no distractions
Enjoy your time
Are meditation retreats worth it?
One might ask if meditation retreats are worth it, with time and money being spent? Emphatically, YES! In these times there are no better means of saving the mind than taking a weekend off for a meditation retreat, the best-ever self-care! And whether you approach a retreat as a spiritual practice or just as a reset button, meditation retreats can make a significant difference in your life. So when you get the chance, do sit in a virtual or in-person ‘meditation hall’, with the guidance of a meditation teacher, and know that inner peace is yours!
Denise Everheart is a freelance writer, breath meditation coach, and recipe designer. Follow her @everheartstudio4meditation and @celeplateyourlife on Instagram.
