What does modern man most often think about? At work, he makes a list of products that you will need to buy in the store for dinner. There are immediately discussions with colleagues of the latest film distribution novelties. On the way home, as a rule, people read books or scold traffic jams. And what about in the evening? After work, most of us watch TV, listen to the radio, discuss conflicts with our loved ones at work, etc. How can we find time to think about ourselves and our lives? For this, there is a retreat. This is nothing more than a solitude process for doing inner work. During it, a person moves away from the outside world that is familiar to him. This allows you to work on yourself.
The origins of retreat can be found in most of the world's religious teachings. In earlier times, this practice was part of sacred rituals. Today, a retreat gives a person the opportunity to free his mind from excessive stress and restore physical strength.
Definition of a concept
At all times, there were people who were most interested in their own happiness and development. Indeed, many centuries ago, despite the absence of the metro, the Internet, television and numerous office centers, the human mind was still restless. To rise above the everyday bustle and think about something really worthwhile to our ancestors was not as easy as ours. But humanity has found a way out. It was quite simple and affordable. From the hustle and bustle for a while, you just need to get away. So did, for example, the novices and monks of many existing religions. They hid from the world in a suitable place for this and were engaged in themselves.
Today, such a pastime is becoming more and more popular. And they call it a retreat. Translation of this word from English means "solitude, refuge, withdrawal from society, retreat."
Retreat refers to an in-depth spiritual practice of meditation, yoga, etc., accompanied by complete immersion. At the same time, for the conduct of this event, certain conditions must be met. For example, the retreat location is right. It must be secluded and be in close proximity to natural nature. Suitable for retreat and shaded rooms. Then, for five to six hours, practitioners perform a variety of meditations and yoga. The retreat from this gives such a powerful effect that a person immediately begins to feel the real results in his life.
Varieties of Solitude
There are many retreat practitioners. It all depends on belonging to a particular school. Such events can be both individual and group. There is also a female retreat. Sometimes the practice of solitude is carried out in complete silence, and sometimes it involves lively active communication.
It is difficult to answer such a question: "What does retreat mean?" Sometimes this is almost continuous meditation, only occasionally interrupted by food and sleep. There is also such a retreat, which is carried out in an atmosphere of celebration. It is usually organized in the form of a variety of workshops on mandalotherapy and drawing.
Different and pursued by such solitude goals. So, some people, conducting a training retreat, are only looking for harmony with themselves and self-knowledge. Others take this time to master any knowledge or spiritual practices.
Retreats are also distinguished by the scale of the event. So, today there are spiritual practices for leaders. Successful company administrations organize a one-day retreat on a quarterly basis, and a three-day retreat every year. During spiritual practice, mutual trust is strengthened, a business strategy is clarified, which allows to accelerate progress towards a common goal.
Some companies conduct retreats for staff. This practice will also help strengthen the employees' trust in each other and will enable various departments to determine the overall work strategy, focusing on success.
Family retreats are not uncommon at this time. After all, everyone should slow down the pace of life, having been a little in peace and quiet. The best place for a family retreat will be a hiking trip or other outdoor activity. Such a pastime will allow all households to go beyond their usual way of life.
There is also the so-called weekly Shabbat. When performing this ritual, no one goes to the store, does not work, does not turn on the computer and does not watch TV.
The duration of the event also subdivides retreat. This event can be held from several hours during the day, and can last more than one year. In the first case, a person becomes isolated from the world and deals with an important issue for him during periods free from work. In the latter, people usually leave their homes for places remote from civilization. Of course, there are other, intermediate retreat options.
However, not everyone can afford to quit work and go to distant countries to retire from the world and immerse themselves in practice. That is why there are a variety of one-day as well as multi-day workshops. Their visit and gives the person the opportunity to remain alone with himself. This is a wonderful time to think about your life, about what has already been done, and about what remains to be done. Such practices allow you to fall out of the bustling world, and returning to it, feel like a different person.
Retreat Tasks
The great Buddha recommended that people carefully examine their lives. For this, retreat is needed. The significance of this practice for a person lies in the research conducted by him. After all, everyone should answer the question of who he really is and what he means in this life.
The second task of the retreat is to move away from their opinions and their conditions in order to return to their original nature. No wonder this spiritual practice encourages its supporters not to become attached to anything.
The third task of the retreat is: “Just do it!” Indeed, it has long been decided when to get up, meditate and communicate. Man only has to do this.
The last task that retreat practices pursue is to “wake up” and further help this world. For this, privacy exists.
Developed rules system
Whatever the training retreat, conducting it always involves following a specific system. So, this spiritual practice has a schedule in which the beginning and end of the event are indicated. In addition, answering the question “what does retreat mean?”, We can say that this is a certain responsibility of all its participants, which is expressed in the elusive combination of inner freedom and strict discipline. Only in this case, a person is able to integrate into the cyclical rhythm of life.
Retreat requires the implementation of another rule, which provides for the rejection of coffee, alcohol and meat. The body should not be distracted by digesting heavy foods. That is why, while performing this spiritual practice, people should adhere to a vegetarian diet.
Retreat and knowledge
The life of a modern person is inextricably linked to the Internet. It was this global resource that gave people unlimited access to knowledge. However, the more information we consume, the less its volume affects us. Unrealized knowledge does not work. It is inside us a dead weight. A paradoxical situation arises. On the one hand, a person seems to know a lot, but cannot do anything.
And here retreat comes to the rescue. What is it for modern man? This is the exact opposite of the program that we use to gain knowledge. Spiritual practice does not affect the intellectual level of understanding. It is a pure action that uses a limited flow of information or completely eliminates it. In other words, retreat does not present people with any theory. It provides information limited by the scope of practiced practice.
During retreat events you will not hear any philosophical reasoning. There will not be any generalizations here. That is why for someone who does not know, retreat - what it is, we can say that this is a practice that gives us the most important thing - a certain level of personal experience. This is capable of triggering changes in our lives. In addition, retreat allows us to clear our mind of trash that has appeared as a result of the perception of various concepts and theories.
The essence of retreat
Ancient spiritual practice allows a person to go beyond ordinary life. This is the essence of the retreat. Only with a cardinal change of scenery and when separated from everyday reality can we overcome the inertia of the usual course of life and get away from patterns of thinking and behavior.
In other words, the meaning of the retreat is to escape from everyday life in order to comprehend and understand oneself. This practice can be realized through focusing on meditation, yoga or any other type of activity. Retreat is a work that allows you to not only clear your mind, improve your emotional state, but also come to a deeper awareness of your mission on earth.
Practice of silence
The modern world requires a person to constantly communicate - business and friendly, domestic and creative. We strive for the most efficient receipt and presentation of information, and for most of us it is simply inconceivable to interrupt this flow.
However, there is a retreat of silence. This is an ancient spiritual practice that has existed since time immemorial. It gained the greatest distribution in Christianity, Buddhism and religions of India. Previously, it was a vow of silence, leaving in the forest or in the mountains. This practice was mainly followed by monks. They fasted and prayed alone.
What was the purpose of this retreat? He created silence for the mind through rejection of speech. Those who could carry out this practice were called muni in India. These were perfect yogis who achieved a state of inner silence. It was believed that a person spends a lot of energy on conversations, especially unnecessary ones, which it is desirable to use for self-development.
Silence in the modern world
An external refusal to talk can benefit not only hermits and monks. The more words we speak, the more chaotic and unstable our mind becomes. In a whirlpool of thoughts, a person cannot really hear other people or the world around him, and, most importantly, himself. How to fix this situation? You just need to stop talking and start practicing retreat. This will save energy, exercise control over your emotions and come to clarity of mind and internal control. This practice can help with hypertension, neuropsychiatric ailments, vegetovascular dystonia, and headaches. But how does a modern person plunge into silence? After all, a trip to distant lands is unacceptable luxury for many of us? Of course, this is not easy, but to achieve this is quite realistic.
Silence in the big city
It is possible to carry out a retreat at home. To do this, send households to the country, in a cafe, on a visit, etc. Only in this case will silence be guaranteed. This is the main condition for retreat.
On the day of spiritual practice, it is better not to leave the walls of the house at all. Otherwise, there will certainly be a need for communication. For example, you will need to answer a passerby how to go somewhere, or say hello to a neighbor.
The next step is to get rid of telephone communications, television and radio. These devices can simply be turned off. It is also important not to forget about animals. After all, it is difficult to refrain from talking when a faithful dog or an affectionate cat walks nearby. And when it becomes physically no one to talk to, try not to pronounce your thoughts out loud.
The most difficult part of conducting a silence retreat is the lack of conversations "to oneself." A person must get rid of the chatter that does not fall silent in his head. What will happen next? After observing all the above conditions, some detachment will come. All people, events and phenomena will begin to pass through a person without affecting him. The ability to remain silent, but at the same time to truly hear and listen to other people, will begin to understand the world and yourself.
Women's practice
A person engaged in retreat, without a doubt, strives for a joyful and happy life. This is a long and interesting way to help change your destiny.
Unfortunately, modern society makes strict demands on women. After all, the existing orientation of the world aims it to climb the career ladder and make money. At the same time, those feminine values that are given by nature itself are supplanted. Representatives of the weak half of humanity are losing the ability to give warmth and love to their family. Most likely, because of this, some ladies began to lose touch with their female strength, gradually moving to the rails of men's life. This state of affairs destroys health. A woman is left without male attention and care, becoming lonely and miserable.
How to fix this situation? This will help female retreat. He will allow ladies to be happy, lucky, to move away from the male line of behavior. After spiritual practice:
- a woman gains self-confidence, harmony and joy of life comes to her;
- Appears awareness of their own attractiveness, beauty and uniqueness.
Preparation for privacy
Before conducting a retreat, it is advisable for each person to understand their goals and enter them into their diary. If the motivation for engaging in spiritual practice will decline, you can reread your thoughts, which will give additional strength.
Regular hatha yoga classes will also prepare for retreat. You can do this yourself or start attending classes in a special room. During this period, it is important to relax and strengthen the body, and especially the hip joints and back. This is a very important step. Such training will allow you to pay more attention to the technique of meditation, without being distracted by the uncomfortable sensations in the muscles.
In preparing for the retreat, the choice of clothing is also important. It should be free, soft and comfortable. In such clothes, the practitioner should feel comfortable enough, and his blood should calmly circulate throughout his body.
Diary is also recommended. In a notebook or in a notebook should be recorded sensations that arise from the results of practices. After all, it is impossible to remember those subtle experiences and effects that appear during the retreat. They get confused, forget, and then just leave consciousness. This can only be avoided by keeping a diary.
Recommendations during the retreat
During privacy, you must turn off the phone and limit all external contacts. During this period, gadgets can only be used as a watch or alarm clock. Only in this case, the practitioner will be able to prevent himself from unnecessary new information and focus on privacy.
Following a retreat schedule, it is important to organize moderate meals. This is due to the fact that by the beginning of the next meditation, the body must completely cope with food. After breakfast and dinner, walking is recommended.
It is worth remembering that during the retreat, the body must gain energy not from meals, but through spiritual seclusion. Fans of a tight meal should keep in mind that their full stomach will significantly reduce the effect of the event.
When conducting a retreat, it is important not to fall asleep. This state will not allow you to raise energy up the body, and you get the opposite effect. In addition, one of the main goals of meditation is to maintain concentration on the selected object. This is not possible when immersed in sleep.
After the retreat
At the end of the practice, it is important not to waste the accumulated energy in detail. To do this, limit yourself to pleasures and not fill your stomach with hearty dinners. The energy gained during practice should be spent for good.