The Benefits of a Meditation Retreat

Have you ever considered a meditation retreat? Check out all the reasons why we recommend it!

Think back to the last time you meditated. Chances are you’ve read a story about the benefits of a quick meditation session, or maybe you even heard about it from a friend. With life being as busy as it is, you may have been only able to get a five or ten minute session in. While that’s fine, it doesn’t quite press the reset button like a meditation retreat does.

So what are we talking about?

Zen Buddhism has a tradition called sesshin. It’s where a person will take a few days to step away from the hustle and bustle of regular life and focus exclusively on meditation and mindfulness. In the Theravandan buddhist tradition, there is the practice of Vippassana which one focuses on during retreats from 1 day all the way up to multiple years (don’t worry you don’t have to go for years to feel the benefits!). There are also a few secular mindfulness centers where you can learn the secular practice of mindfulness mediation.

What to Expect

A meditation retreat is going to differ from a yoga retreat, or any retreat you’ve gone on before. Expect spending almost all of your waking hours in meditation, either sitting, standing or walking. In certain centers they offer yoga class in the morning and many centers require that you work a ‘yogi job’ and they ask that you keep the practice of awareness going while you perform your job. The idea is to keep a continuity of practice so that when you go home, you can continue to apply awareness to all areas of your life. If this sounds challenging, it is at times, but when you feel the benefits of practice you know why it’s worth it!

The Benefits of a Meditation Retreat

Stress free getaway.

You don’t have to fly halfway around the world to engage in a meditation retreat. You can do it right in your own backyard. Vacations can be fun, but if you pack your itinerary full of activities, you might find yourself feeling just as stressed as before you left. With a meditation retreat, you let all that stress go and allow yourself to focus on the present with mindfulness and gratitude.

Putting you in touch with yourself.

It’s too easy in today’s world to disconnect from yourself. There is so much information to process on a daily basis that we can easily forget who we are. Luckily, here are the Till we do our best to help you get in touch with yourself through gratitude, positivity and mindfulness. A meditation retreat will get you in touch with yourself also in a different and maybe new way! There’s no right or wrong way to do it. It’s your journey.

Improve your outlook on life.

We’ve already seen how simple meditation sessions can improve your mood and attitude, so just imagine what a focused retreat could do. And a meditation retreat will only help you along the way.

Meditation Retreat Centers that we love around the world:

Insight Meditation Society Insight meditation center in Barre, Massachusetts

The Copper Beech Institute Mindfulness Meditation Center in West Hartford, CT

Spirit Rock Insight meditation center in Woodacre, CA

Moulin de Chaves Insight Meditation Center in in France

Dhamma.org Goenka led Vippassana Centers Worldwide

What are your favorite ways to get in touch with yourself? Comment Below!

Photo: Bekir Donmez

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