Retreat
For most of us it can also be quite a costly time as well and sometimes we simply cannot afford it or we are too busy to plan it so we don’t take the necessary retreat. For some of us we do not like to be alone and we don’t retreat at all, in fact the very word is worrying. The idea of being alone for a weekend or longer can seem so lonely and even mundane that we would prefer not too.
To retreat, relax or rest is a natural cycle in every living thing. Our lifestyles can push us too hard and at times it may be quite therapeutic to make the time to truly rest. It’s important to nourish ourselves with spiritual and emotional reflection. A time of retreat is a time for us to contemplate and reflect on our heart’s true feelings and desires.
During our retreat we can clear our mind from all the hustle and noise and spend some time with our true feelings. We can take a bird’s eye view of those worrying situations and calmly let go a while. Feel free and at peace with ourselves and see what comes!
Some places are nothing more than a state of mind and require no planning ahead and cost very little if nothing at all. In fact you don’t need to go anywhere. A retreat can be ‘your’ special time. You can make what you will of it and save the holidaying and weekends away to share with your family and friends.
We can take a retreat when we decide to soak in the bath. Decide to add a little something special to the water, perhaps a gentle lavender oil, to add a soothing scent and soften the body’s skin. Play deep relaxation music and set the mood to a peaceful atmosphere. Turn out the lights and light a few candles instead, place them sparingly around the room. Soak in the water and allow your mind to relax and drift far away!
You may like to visit a beautiful island somewhere and lay in the warm sun or decide to take a gentle swim by a waterfall in a quiet rain forest… venture out to where ever your heart desires and do whatever you feel like doing when you are there. Deeply indulge in the atmosphere and absorb the scenery of your retreat.
Making the time to relax and retreat can bring a healthier balance to your busy lifestyle. The great majority of us work hard, long hours in our careers/jobs, home life and relationships giving ourselves very little time at all, if any to rest. By making that ’special time’ to retreat even as simply as taking a long bath, allowing ourselves to drift away and wonder through all the wonders of ourselves relaxes our minds and we may find we feel more peaceful during our busy everyday lifestyles.
There are many ways we can prepare our time and space to retreat at home. We can take long baths, massages, meditate or read, even writing can be relaxing. The aim is to take our minds away from our hectic day, to look forward to our retreat and explore ourselves.
“A single moment of understanding can flood a whole life with meaning” - axiom
Your special time is where you can find yourself again and again. We love to know that we are not alone and our retreat can show us that we don’t necessarily need to be. In our solitude is the richness of ourselves. The most powerful way to connect to ourself is to listen and perhaps the most important thing we ever give ourselves is our own undivided attention… a loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect us to what we may not notice within.
© 2004 by Biljana
