So … I had the privilege to take a 4-day silent retreat at an ashram called Yogaville in Buckingham, Virg., this past weekend.
I’ve only been on one other yoga retreat a few years back and it was just me, out in Amish country, staying at a Bed and Breakfast that offered Yoga, meditation and massages.
Suffice it to say, I’d never done something quite like this. We first arrived Thursday late afternoon, my friend Marilyn and I. We, along with 23 others, had meditation, dinner and then orientation before we officially “went into silence” for the next three days. At first, it was awkward, me and 23 other people I didn’t know, with barely any time to get to know them, suddenly engulfed in silence.
The purpose behind it was to encourage deeper inward reflection than we would have if we were able to talk to one another. And now, having done it, I would agree completely.
Our staff members also explained that our mouths, our voices = vibration. And so, what we say DOES hold a lot of power in the universe. So, by quieting this instrument of ours, we are able to turn that energy inward. I won’t get into great detail here, because if someone decides to go on one of Yogaville’s retreats (they hold several during the year) or any other retreat of this kind, I wouldn’t want to take away all of the journey and surprise. But I will say, I discovered quite a lot more about myself than I realized was in me during those three days. And I highly recommend people, whether you’re new to Yoga or have been on this path many years, take time for a retreat … a getaway. Trust me, you will get something out of it. It might even transform your life.
Lately I had been feeling as though I had gotten a bit off path, mainly in my personal practice. I wasn’t doing my daily sadhana. I was trying to apply meditation and yoga principals to my daily activities and stressful work environment … but often failed. I was feeling burned out and while I’ve just recently begun my 500 hours training, I felt I needed a reboot and I needed to be away from my normal environment.
This gave me just that and so much more. One of the exercises we were given was to sit down and make a list of all the things we consider priorities and important to us in our lives. Then, make another list and jot down everything we do on average in a day.
Then see how many things actually line up between the two lists.
Admittedly, a lot of mine did not …
I also realized just how much my mind runs away from me. I’ve been practicing self awareness for some time now and being the “witness” and watcher of my mind and thoughts, but it wasn’t until I sat down to meditate for very long periods of time, that I realized how little I’ve caged that mind monkey. And how much work I have ahead of me. But it feels good. I feel like I can apply practical steps to my daily routine that will help me regain control of my mind as well as make more of those list items line up.
Some of the things I realized on this retreat weren’t easy. Looking inward is very hard sometimes. We don’t always like what we see. But my goodness was it worth the glimpse, because now I know what I have to do and I have the tools to do it.
We all do. If only we looked inside more often
.
Namaste my friends …
Love,
~C~