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To Find Balance, Retreat!
by Howard
VanEs
When our lives get out of balance we experience
stress. The stress may come from work, relationships, health challenges,
legal challenges, the environment or any combination of factors. Stress
in of itself is not so bad but when experienced regularly over time
disease states arise: irritability, anxiety, insomnia, headaches,
feelings of helplessness, and indigestion. Left unchecked chronic stress
leads to depression, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease,
chronic anxiety, a compromised immunes system, etc.
A time honored way of bringing balance into your life is with a retreat.
A retreat can help you regain balance and live healthier in a number of
important ways. First, when you participate in a retreat you remove
yourself from the regular of stressors of daily life and by doing so
create an opportunity for your system to naturally come back into
balance. Sometimes we have lived so long with stress that we have
forgotten what it feels like to feel really good!
A retreat offers the possibility to feel good again. And having this
time away you can gain a fresh perspective of what is causing the stress
and consider what you might do to bring about a healthier lifestyle.
When you combine retreat time with a natural healing modality such as
yoga you create an opportunity to renew and revitalize your entire
system – body, mind and spirit, at very deep levels. You also have the
opportunity to learn something new or deepen into the practice of yoga.
And through this experience you may become inspired to practice
regularly at home which will further bring balance and health into your
life.
Of course the ideal retreat includes delicious and nurturing meals of
whole foods, like minded people, time to play, and a sacred environment
where the healing power of nature can support you: magnificent views,
beautiful weather, the energy of the land etc. It is for this reason
that retreats are often taken in the mountains, forests, by the ocean,
or on tropical islands.
Being in a beautiful natural environment also has another powerful
effect; you are reminded of the grandeur and beauty in the world, and
that in some way connected to this, regardless of what is happening in
your life. We are reminded that there is something larger than
ourselves, which leads to a mindset that is more open – open to fresh
possibilities and the creative spirit.
New environments also set the stage for fresh stimuli; input which can
trigger new ideas
and ways of thinking. This can come form a conversation with a stranger,
reading a magazine, exploring the local environment, learning about the
local culture or customs or simply trying a new restaurant. A retreat
offers the opportunity to break “out of the box” – out of our
habitual ways of thinking which in turn fosters new perspectives and
creativity.
While regaining balance, reducing stress, renewal are often strong
motivations for attending a retreat, there are many other reasons people
do this which include quiet time for themselves, time to sort out some
aspect of their lives, to learn a new skill or deepen into a specific
modality, to do something nice for themselves or simply to have a
vacation.
Before you go on a retreat – take time to think about why you are
going and what you want from that experience. Just as an individual
reasons for going on a retreat vary so do the many types of retreats
offered. Retreats can range in time from a weekend, to week, to a month
or longer. Some programs work with the individual to create their own
personalized retreat while others are very structured and ask the
participant to be involved with many activities. Retreats can also be
more like vacations.
Whatever your reasons may be to go on a retreat, whether it is to reduce
stress, regain balance, deepen your spirituality, have a great vacation
or a combination of things, a retreat can be the perfect way to rebalance
your life, renew your spirit and live a happier, healthier life.
About the Author
Howard VanEs, M.A. has been studying and
practicing yoga for over thirteen years and is a certified yoga teacher
teaching in the East Bay area of San Francisco. He is author of
“Beginning Yoga: A Practice Manual”, co-creator of the audio CD
“Shavasana / Deep Relaxation”. http://www.letsdoyoga.com
info@letsdoyoga.com 510-587-3399
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Copyright 2005
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