Reflections of a Meditation Retreat

A couple weeks ago I had the good fortune to attend a week-long meditation retreat at Buckhorn Springs (Ashland, OR) with my meditation teacher of 27 years.

Out of the 26 folks who attended 9 states and two countries were represented.

A retreat is a perfect way to remove ourselves from our daily grind and connect more deeply with our spiritual nature. The end results are being well rested, revitalized and chock full of new insights and vigor. Often the wholeness human beings are searching for can be fulfilled from within. Especially if one takes time to retreat from daily routines and stresses.

Getting ready for another round of meditation

Sometimes I like to look at the statistics of a thing. We started with an evening meditation on a Friday and ended with a morning meditation the following Friday. In between we enjoyed 47 hours of meditation, learning, laughter and exercise. As well as 25 yummy meals that were lovingly prepared for us.  We also had an after party which included a silent auction where we raised $1600 for our scholarship program. During our free time there was several acres of beautiful land to explore, more meditation to be had, helping others with healing, sharing life experiences and the exploring of the beautiful town of Ashland.

I am always stuck by how magnificent the night sky is when we are removed from the city lights. The milky way is rich with stars. I am so lucky to experience such breath-taking beauty. It was quite fun to name all the constellations we remembered from our schooling.

A typical day would start with an hour of meditation from 7-8am. We rise from our sleepy state and walk in silence to the meditation hall and quietly sit and meditate. Breakfast is served. As you can imagine, sitting for long periods can be tiring. So to help us with that we had a daily exercise period from 9-10am. During which we'd stretch, do chi kung, tai chi and other breathing/moving exercises. From 10-Noon we'd have a session with the Teacher. Lunch is served. Free time til the 2:00-3:30 session with Leong - often outside - learning more about nature. Free time til dinner was served. 7-9pm evening session with the Teacher. Sleep and repeat.

I have to say that this retreat was golden with laughter. And there was so much harmony and great connections between all the participants. Lovely!

The main thing that is up for me at this time is Patience. Patience with family and with my meditation business.

Patience is one of the seven challenges to being a good human being. Spiritual growth is a natural process and it cannot be rushed.

Time is our gift. We have time.