Notes

Buddhist Retreat Virginia
Ten Days of Silent Meditation
Zooming in on Meditation
In September, 2020, within the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, my spouse and I virtually attended (via Zoom) three silent Jewish meditation retreats that added up to ten consecutive days of silence. Two of the three retreats have been led by Rabbi Jeff Roth, and one was co-led by Jeff and Buddhist meditation teacher Brian Arnell in association with The Awakened Heart Project. My wife has been attending retreats with Jeff a few times a yr.
Jewish meditation is rather like some other meditation except the primary focus could be some phrases from Torah or synagogue liturgy, and a Jewish meditation retreat might have educating classes on Jewish theology.

In meditation, one tries to clear one’s mind of extraneous thought until only the primary target remains. This is achieved primarily via or with consideration to every particular person in- and out-breath.
The Benefits of Meditation
The benefits of meditation are well documented by science. One pioneer of the examine of those advantages is Dr. Herbert Benson, who founded the Benson-Henry Mind Body Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, Massachusetts. His studies show that meditation, amongst other positive results, can decrease a person’s blood strain and/or coronary heart price, cut back stress and velocity healing.

I discover that meditation makes me typically calmer and fewer more probably to be impatient or offended

My Motivation
My meditation practice had been greatly in the reduction of during the pandemic as a outcome of I had practiced largely during my commute (by trolley and train) to work. I discovered my six o’clock in the morning Commuter Rail ride especially conducive to meditation as a end result of it is a ‘reverse commute,’ (meaning that as a morning outbound train it carries a fraction of the passengers that morning inbound commuter trains carry), commuters that journey at that hour are normally very quiet, and the rhythmic sounds of the prepare are soothing.

However, as a result of Coronavirus pandemic, I actually have worked from residence since March. I am grateful the choice was made to let me proceed to do so, nevertheless it did mean that I wanted to find a new time to meditate. Unfortunately, going into the September deal with I had not but done so, and due to this fact certainly one of my major motivations for attending was to restart my practice.

A second motivation was that, since this was a silent retreat that my wife was already attending, and while she can be attending I would have been residing life as traditional, except mostly restricted to my office in order to intrude as little as potential together with her expertise, it made more sense that we should both attend. If I had not attended I would have passed the time watching motion pictures, writing, composing music and taking half in trombone and working remotely; however I would miss her and our interactions simply as I had each time she was attending a retreat in particular person. Although we'd still be in the same condominium, for essentially the most half she would not be speaking with or looking at me, and out of respect, I would want to do the identical for her.


Meditation Stay-cation
Attending a silent retreat together in our own residence was a problem, however we did pretty well. During spiritual retreats conformed as greatest we could to the ‘rules,’ however did break silence to have limited conversations thrice, and there were a couple of other occasions we exchanged a couple of scant words to work out logistics for meals or different family matters. I imagine that sharing the expertise strengthened our thirty-five-year bond, in addition to making each of us a bit more tolerant of and less reactive to one another.
A Rigorous Schedule
Each day of the retreat began with a forty-five-minute sit, mostly starting at seven o’clock AM. The remainder of the day alternated sits with teachings, chanting, and time allowed for aware silent walking and meals. Meals had been to consist of aware silence as properly. We had been to avoid email, phones and different gadgets, and as many other worldly distractions as we may, including one another. Each day ended with a sit at eight o’clock PM - basically a thirteen hour day.Initially I found meditating so much to be exhausting, but as the times glided by it felt less so. Still, I used several aware silent walking intervals to put down and simply rest.

The Over-active Brain
In the start, my mind got here up with the most interesting photographs to distract me from my focus. It was like an animal resisting seize. As I tried to focus on a word or phrase, a wild array of assorted rapid-fire imagery popped up to try to steal my consideration. My brain really invented a kind - like a tax kind or bill - that I had by no means seen earlier than, with portions of text circled or highlighted, but simply out of focus so I could not quite make them out.

It took me about two or three days to decrease the constant barrage of photographs and whispers to some intruding thoughts here and there. These I could merely notice after which return to my focus. Without the constant psychological chatter I was capable of expertise meditation more deeply.

Making Peace with the Past
When not sitting, chanting or attending a instructing, we have been urged to remain silent and centered on our internal selves. After the first few days I found that, as I sat alone with my very own thoughts in silence, troubling memories typically surfaced. However, because of my relaxed state, they surfaced with a model new perspective that allowed me to view them differently. As a outcome I had a breakthrough concerning one scene from my childhood that haunted me from time to time; one small purpose to be offended was lifted from my burden...

Read More: https://mindfulvalley.com/retreats/oct-5-9-2023-5-day-meditation-retreat-loving-yourself-nurturing-the-heart-practices/