WHAT IS A “RETREAT” ANYWAY?
The original meaning of the word is:
to back out of something, or – as a noun – a quiet, isolated place where you can be on your own.
A retreat in spiritualism is: a time taken to reflect and meditate
A retreat in survivalism is: a place of refuge for survivalists.
In the original spiritual context – especially in hinduism and buddhism – spiritual people (monks) would go to a place alone to meditate.
In the modern yoga context it means: backing out of your day to day life and habits and taking some time for your SELF.
A yoga retreat is often a recreational holiday, where everyday business is left for a few days (weekend-retreat) up to weeks. The goal is to let go of daily stress and problems by practicing yoga rather than pure meditation and by focusing on doing something good for your body & your soul.
These retreat – holidays mostly combine being at a magical (often isolated) place with good and healthy food, practicing and learning yoga (and meditation), meeting likeminded people (or just people with the same wish to relieve some stress or to stop the turning wheel for a while or people who don´t find the right place and time at home for doing some yoga) and sometimes even include other activities like hiking or massages.
But most importantly they provide the right environment (the place and the people) for mind expansion.
One of the nice things is: you can come alone! But you will never be alone. Weather you need alone-time or meeting likeminded people, all is possible on a retreat because most people who come to a retreat are very respectful. Of course you can also come with a friend or partner or a group of friends… ALL is possible.
AND WHY SHOULD I JOIN A RETREAT?
1 It makes you stop, log out, wake up, step back from your everyday business and gives you the opportunity to jump out of the hamster wheel for a while and watch it turn from the outside. Observe.
2 You will leave changed. That´s for sure even if you can´t imagine that right now. It will initiate an inner transformation that will help you cope better with unpleasant situations. It will start a journey to yourself.
3 It will help you to live a more conscious life, focus on the positive side of life, and help you to make or initiate the changes you want to make in your life.
4 Everything you want to be and have you already are and have. You only need to wake up and realize your potential. A retreat helps you to learn about the awareness you need in order to listen to your inner self.
5 It will plant the seed of making you a „better you“. A person with less stress, anger, jealousy, ignorance and greed but more kindness, understanding, compassion, Patience, gratitude, and finally: more PEACE (of mind).
6 You will learn to observe and then act rather then to RE-act without thinking. A retreat can teach you to wake up to our conditional thinking patterns and thus to „see things how they reallly are“. Well. that´s almost close to enlightenment 😉
7 Or maybe you just want to practice daily yoga in a nice environment, with more time and focus than somewhere in a studio or gym between work and preparing dinner. A time without to-do-lists. A time just for YOU!
8 Or maybe you are single (like me) and all your friends have other plans and you just want to spend a week of vacation at a nice place with healthy food and meeting lovely people.
HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?
When a group of likeminded individuals comes together with the purpose of uplifting their lives and expanding consciousness something magical and mystical happens and a special energy arises.
The YOGA – which is a physical practice on the outside, but really is a mental practice – creates the necessary mindset to awaken your awareness and inner potential if you want it or not 😉 Also, developing an awareness for your physical body and adressing specific muscles and body parts is an amazing experience!
Breathing exercises will help you to not only freeing your breath and taking in more oxigen for the rejuvenation of your cell, but also will show you how we can calm our mind with it. “for the mind, my dear, is bound to the breath“ (Chandogya Upanisad)
In Yoga there is no judgement and no competition. It allows you to start where you are, to come as you are, to be vulnerable and thus discovering your REAL potential (Forget about all the super flexible and skinny social media Pictures. It´s not ybout how it Looks like, it´s about how it feels like. “Just because you can wind up like a prezel doesn´t mean you are doing yoga. It just means you can wind up like a pretzel“ David Swenson)
Finally, it is just a magical combination – taking place at magical places – setting free unknown energies.
WRAP IT UP
Honestly: I CAN`T EXPLAIN IT.
All I know is that MY first retreat changed my whole life and the entire way to look at my life.
And that all my students left my retreats “changed”.
Just like an apple´s taste can not be described theoretically, to know what a retreat will make out of you it must be tasted through experiencing it.
