For those inspired by the monks of antiquity but lacking the time and resources required to go AWOL for weeks at a time, escaping to a spiritual retreat for a couple days makes for a good consolation it definitely beats living in an actual cave! At a typical retreat, you are afforded all the privacy required to keep prying eyes off your tiger-striped yoga tights, but also have the option of connecting with many like-minded souls (pronounced: sympathetic awakening starseeds, in the New-Age lingo) eager to share their preferred religious practices and wear your spiritual t shirts online. Accompanied by vivid descriptions of any metaphysical (out of body) experiences they had had.
The people refusing to participate do so most often out of fear that they will incite the wrath of the gods of their upbringings, yet, the teachings of spirituality pre-date modern religion by millennia some might claim these religious practices are even what lead the prophets of old to have those enlightening experiences that have been passed down to us in the form of gospel.
The average city-dweller has to contend with a lot in terms of exposure to toxic air, toxic food, and toxic people with their destructively toxic thoughts. Leaving one in a state of inner disarray as ones energies are constantly being scattered in an attempt to still be a productive functioning member of society. Unfortunately, the harm that comes from focusing on the material world at the expense of ones psychic faculties is well documented.
And, according to the findings of the American Psychological Association, there is a direct link between chronic stress and the six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, irreversible liver damage, suicide, and the negligent kinds of behavior that cause accidents. It becomes cliche to say that the stress is the number one killer, but considering that more than 75 percent of all visits to the doctor are for stress-related ailments, and given their close relationship to cardiac-related issues, more and more people are taking it to heart (pun intended). There's a growing awareness about the importance, some might say necessity, of making regular getaways from the fast-paced rat race that is modern living.
And with many scientific journals highlighting our mental shortcomings as the cause of our physical failings, people in general have been eager to come to better understandings of how to better influence their minds into influencing their bodies back into health and well-being.
Many are disheartened upon learning that the downside to taking medication is usually the development of further illnesses as their bodies react negatively to many of the chemical compounds used in the production of medicine. So, what was meant to heal actually holds the potential to kill. But as people became aware of the existence of many religious practices of health-based entirely on non-invasive methods, they have been flocking to learn their secrets ever since.
And seeing how difficult is it to hear both sides of an argument while being strongly biased towards either side, it stands to reason that learning to listen is as invaluable a tool in reaching the greater understanding, as is being able to stand your ground in stating the strengths of a preferred argument. The exercises taught at a typical retreat offers just such a means to an end.
A retreat offers a much more accessible solution to those seeking to aspire to that much-desired state of inner peace, supposedly only achieved by those having reached the apex of pure peak experiences. In reality, developing the habit of putting aside a mere ten minutes a day for religious practices like meditation can have a profound effect in developing a person's capacity for single-mindedness (the ability to focus on something to the exclusion of all else). And, while hardly as profound as the highly touted states of inner peace or enlightenment, gaining the ability to simply focus on a given task without being side-tracked by any distractions is enough to entice most people to take up, and become consistent with, a meditative practice of some sort.
The people refusing to participate do so most often out of fear that they will incite the wrath of the gods of their upbringings, yet, the teachings of spirituality pre-date modern religion by millennia some might claim these religious practices are even what lead the prophets of old to have those enlightening experiences that have been passed down to us in the form of gospel.
The average city-dweller has to contend with a lot in terms of exposure to toxic air, toxic food, and toxic people with their destructively toxic thoughts. Leaving one in a state of inner disarray as ones energies are constantly being scattered in an attempt to still be a productive functioning member of society. Unfortunately, the harm that comes from focusing on the material world at the expense of ones psychic faculties is well documented.
And, according to the findings of the American Psychological Association, there is a direct link between chronic stress and the six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, irreversible liver damage, suicide, and the negligent kinds of behavior that cause accidents. It becomes cliche to say that the stress is the number one killer, but considering that more than 75 percent of all visits to the doctor are for stress-related ailments, and given their close relationship to cardiac-related issues, more and more people are taking it to heart (pun intended). There's a growing awareness about the importance, some might say necessity, of making regular getaways from the fast-paced rat race that is modern living.
And with many scientific journals highlighting our mental shortcomings as the cause of our physical failings, people in general have been eager to come to better understandings of how to better influence their minds into influencing their bodies back into health and well-being.
Many are disheartened upon learning that the downside to taking medication is usually the development of further illnesses as their bodies react negatively to many of the chemical compounds used in the production of medicine. So, what was meant to heal actually holds the potential to kill. But as people became aware of the existence of many religious practices of health-based entirely on non-invasive methods, they have been flocking to learn their secrets ever since.
And seeing how difficult is it to hear both sides of an argument while being strongly biased towards either side, it stands to reason that learning to listen is as invaluable a tool in reaching the greater understanding, as is being able to stand your ground in stating the strengths of a preferred argument. The exercises taught at a typical retreat offers just such a means to an end.
A retreat offers a much more accessible solution to those seeking to aspire to that much-desired state of inner peace, supposedly only achieved by those having reached the apex of pure peak experiences. In reality, developing the habit of putting aside a mere ten minutes a day for religious practices like meditation can have a profound effect in developing a person's capacity for single-mindedness (the ability to focus on something to the exclusion of all else). And, while hardly as profound as the highly touted states of inner peace or enlightenment, gaining the ability to simply focus on a given task without being side-tracked by any distractions is enough to entice most people to take up, and become consistent with, a meditative practice of some sort.
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