Spiritual Retreats Improve Health, Performance
How to Choose a Place for Renewal, Harmony, Strength, Success
Nov 9, 2009
Stress, worry, self-doubt, mental and physical fatigue, grief, work demands, illness of self or family - these are all examples of the personal spiritual draining caused by life's events and demands. Combined meditation, rest, and separation from these stressors can be healing and enlightening.
Henry David Thoreau expressed this wisdom in Walden, writing from the ultimate retreat on the shore of Walden Pond. Thoreau said, "We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us in our soundest sleep...
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to confront only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."
The Benefit of a Spiritual Retreat
By definition, a retreat is a stepping away from the day-to-day routine. A retreat could be considered a special type of vacation, one with a purpose. The purpose may be spiritual renewal, focus on a problem that needs solving, rest and thought in a quiet atmosphere, a structured program for a specific goal, therapy, or a combination of some of these. It may be an organized group endeavor or an individual journey.
All these purposes have in common the benefit of changing one's usual perspective in a sheltered, peaceful, different environment. This gives a person the opportunity to reflect, think, read, meditate, exercise, and renew. Consider it a recharging of spiritual energy.
Corporations have discovered the benefits of retreats for team building, executive problem solving and strategic planning. Students find retreats beneficial in preparing for exams, and athletes to enhance their training programs. Group retreats for religious study and contemplation are common across cultures and denominations.
Physical exercise such as swimming, hiking, cycling, walking, and yoga routines add value to the retreat experience, integrating the body with the mind and spirit. Some people may wish to focus solely on meditative activities, others a combination of physical and contemplative.
When deciding to embark on a retreat, one should have an understanding of what is desired from the experience, for that will be the focus, the spiritual centering of the journey.
Places and Times for an Informal Personal Retreat for Spiritual Renewal
Remote nature locations are generally considered the best choices of place for a spiritual retreat because they are quiet, different, beautiful, clean and free of typical distractions They offer the harmony of the essential life energy present in all living things, uncluttered.
A retreat does not need to be in an expensive mountain resort, though. An artful garden hideaway within a city can work. Other venues might be a museum, church courtyard, park, library, greenhouse, private farm, botanical garden, winery, beach, garden rooftop.
A bit of planning and research with an advance reservation or other arrangements to ensure privacy, peace and freedom may be all that is needed to secure a perfect place for a personal retreat.
No time for a weekend retreat? An alternative is an hour or two of meditation and reflection without interruption in a quiet garden. Another option is a half-day or one-day retreat plan or program.
The key to the place and time is to make sure it will be a true retreat. That means none of the following on hand during the retreat: cell phone, instant email, computer, noise, televisions, radios, family and work demands and other such interruptions, non-retreat companions, and any other intrusion. The time must be wholly committed to the retreat and the retreat time wholly devoted to its purpose of spiritual focus.
Use the discipline of simple meditation and regulated deep breathing during the retreat to center the mind and let go of stress. Notice the simple beauty and details of surroundings. Block out worries. Reading or journaling works well for some during retreats. Each person's formula will be unique. Or, a retreat's guided program may fit a person's needs.
A self-guided retreat is one approach. Another is a guided retreat, or place that offers a menu of options.
Specialized Spiritual Retreat Locations
Many places specialize in hosting retreats for groups and individuals. Some will aid in organizing retreat activities. Some offer ongoing retreat programs with open enrollment. Others simply offer the place.
Retreat sites are abundant worldwide. The following are a few notable diverse examples:
- Creacon Lodge Prema Agni Retreat Center, Wexford, Ireland; by night or by week; focus on spiritual healing.
- Hacienda Santa Maria Xalostoc, Tlaxco, Mexico; wide variety of activities including Shamanic cleansing.
- Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity's Blessed Trinity Shrine Retreat, Ft. Mitchell, Alabama; offers ongoing personal Spiritual Direction and regularly scheduled retreat programs.
- Upaya Institute and Zen Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Buddhist center, open to public daily, hosts retreats for groups and individuals on meditation and comtemplation.
- Springbank Retreat, Center for Eco-Spirituality and the Arts, Kingstree, South Carolina; Dominican and Franciscan based, earth-centered for spiritual contemplation in nature.
- Assisi Retreat Center, Assisi, Italy; offers year-round individual meditative retreats.
- Silent Ground Retreat Programs, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; variety of programs offered and special retreats periodically scheduled.
A spiritual retreat is an intensely personal, rewarding journey. Options should be carefully researched to find the best place to meet personal goals and needs, as well as financial means.
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