On Retreating

Reflections from attending a mediation and yoga retreat this past weekend in the Catskills. Why attend one? The purpose of going on a retreat is multilayered. We go to connect with our community, sangha. As the presence of spiritually charged people, and shared sadhana uplift and frees us from our mundane worldly existence for at least a bit of time. We also go to connect with our inner selves, to leave behind our day-to-day lives and distractions to have full focus on our practice. The experience strengthens the flame of sadhana and fuels us forward on our spiritual path.

Arriving on the retreat on Friday night, with only a small group of us chanting together, I had few moments when I teared up from the powerfulness of this experience. Being basked in the sounds of the surrounding nature and in the company of these like minded sadhakas, joining in singing our mantra touched me. The experience overtook me with its powerfulness. I felt so complete and humbled in this moment. Recognising how many things my mind was tangled in in my regular daily life, and how freeing myself of these obstacles for spiritual practice filled me with a sense of wholeness. I felt relief and immediate gratitude.

Participating in a retreat however is often not a smooth sale. As we have less to distract our minds with, we become more vulnerable because we are more open to feeling what's really brewing inside us. I found myself coming face to face with events and thoughts that I had tried to suppress. I believe that the first step towards emotional recovery is recognizing and allowing our feelings. Facing both the known and subconscious ones can stir up mental and physical flare ups. We may feel exhausted, get a headache, or even get a cold during the first few days of a retreat.

When gratitude and trust in our sadhana are applied, we can process and start to move forward by seeing the strength in ourselves in facing life’s painful and more challenging experiences. If you go on a retreat, I reckon the best ones to choose are ones where you are going to be faced with your samskaras. More ascetic the better. There are yoga vacation retreats, and then there are spiritually charged retreats. I've been on both, and feel the effect of a spiritual retreat unparalleled. Returning home, the vibrations of the weekend and sounds of the kiirtan are still with me, as if something changed in me at a cellular level.

As is described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali “evolved yogis channel the abundant flow of nature’s energy to free themselves of the bondage of their actions and develop spiritual insight. Even if sadhana fails to bring complete transformation in the life of a sadhaka, it certainly serves to remove obstacles in the path of his evolution.”

Baba Nam Kevalam.