Should I Go On A Retreat?
Retreats can teach you how to be in harmony with yourself, to eliminate anxiety and physical or mental ailments, through the use of different techniques and connection to nature.
If you’re reading this article, the short answer is: “YES, you should.”
The reason being, you’re not really asking: “Should I go on a retreat?”. Instead, you’re reading as much information as you can to convince yourself of something you already know you have to do.
Why then, can’t I just make the decision and be done with it? Himalayan Yogic Tradition calls this a clouded buddhi, a higher mind that is not harmonized with the center of consciousness. This is not a bad thing, most of us have a clouded buddhi. Our job as human beings, however, is to see past our conditioning to remember who we are. Only then, will our day-to-day actions will be harmonized with our True-Self and living will become as easy as breathing: effortless and profound.
That subtle feeling of anxiety or being out of place can only be fixed by going inward. You can read as much as you like, however, knowledge does not equal experience, and it is only through experience that we achieve understanding. Generally, retreats provide the environment for you to go inward so you can experience yourself fully. Once there, it’s easier to achieve understanding and reduce your karmic cycle by removing bad habits, incorrect thinking, and so on.
If you’re still doubting yourself, here are some reasons why you should go on a retreat:
Why You Should Go
Reason 1: Reduce or eliminate mental or physical pain, sadness or dejection, restlessness, shakiness, or anxiety, and irregularities in the exhalation and inhalation of breath.
According to the Yoga Sutras all of the above are direct consequences of obstacles happening at subtler levels of our mind. These obstacles can be overcome by training our being so it becomes less easily distracted.
Nature accelerates the process of going inward by calming the mind. When the mind is still, we are able to observe, accept, understand, and train the subtler aspects of ourselves that are at the root of our ailments. People have cured themselves throughout the ages from all kinds of diseases by establishing a loving and honest dialogue with their inner-selves.
Reason 2: Find the answers you’re looking for.
“The whole tree is contained within its seed.”
All the answers you’re looking for reside within. Tapping into them can be difficult because of the constant distractions of modern life. The trick is training the different aspects of our being so that we are not easily distracted.
Nature makes it easy to listen to your inner truth by inviting us to get rid of notifications from your phone or city stimuli. During a retreat, you might learn techniques that allow you to tap into your inner-truth at any time anywhere. In that sense, a retreat is not only an escape but also the foundation on which to build a stronger sense of being.
