Notes

Low Cost Buddhist Retreat Virginia
Ten Days of Silent Meditation
Zooming in on Meditation
In September, 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, my spouse and I nearly attended (via Zoom) three silent Jewish meditation retreats that added as a lot as ten consecutive days of silence. Two of the three retreats had been led by Rabbi Jeff Roth, and one was co-led by Jeff and Buddhist meditation instructor Brian Arnell in affiliation with The Awakened Heart Project. My spouse has been attending retreats with Jeff a couple of occasions a yr.
Jewish meditation is just like any other meditation except the primary focus might be some phrases from Torah or synagogue liturgy, and a Jewish meditation retreat might have educating periods on Jewish theology.

In meditation, one tries to clear one’s thoughts of extraneous thought till only the focus stays. This is achieved primarily via or with attention to every particular person in- and out-breath.
The Benefits of Meditation
The benefits of meditation are nicely documented by science. One pioneer of the study of those advantages is Dr. Herbert Benson, who founded the Benson-Henry Mind Body Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, Massachusetts. His studies present that meditation, amongst different positive effects, can decrease a person’s blood stress and/or coronary heart price, scale back stress and speed therapeutic.

I discover that meditation makes me typically calmer and less prone to be impatient or offended

My Motivation
My meditation follow had been tremendously in the discount of in the course of the pandemic as a result of I had practiced largely throughout 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 result of it's a ‘reverse commute,’ (meaning that as a morning outbound prepare it carries a fraction of the passengers that morning inbound commuter trains carry), commuters that travel at that hour are usually very quiet, and the rhythmic sounds of the prepare are soothing.

However, as a result of Coronavirus pandemic, I even have labored from house since March. I am grateful the decision was made to let me proceed to do so, nevertheless it did imply that I wanted to find a new time to meditate. Unfortunately, going into the September deal with I had not yet accomplished so, and subsequently one of my main motivations for attending was to restart my apply.

A second motivation was that, since this was a silent retreat that my wife was already attending, and while she could be attending I would have been residing life as ordinary, except mostly restricted to my workplace so as to interfere as little as potential along with her expertise, it made more sense that we should always each attend. If I had not attended I would have handed the time watching motion pictures, writing, composing music and playing 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 might nonetheless be in the identical condominium, for essentially the most part she wouldn't be speaking with or looking at me, and out of respect, I would need to do the same for her.

Meditation Stay-cation
Attending a silent retreat collectively in our own residence was a problem, but we did fairly nicely. During the ten days we conformed as greatest we might to the ‘rules,’ however did break silence to have limited conversations three times, and there have been a few other instances we exchanged a couple of scant phrases to work out logistics for meals or different household issues. I imagine that sharing the expertise strengthened our thirty-five-year bond, along with making both of us a bit more tolerant of and less reactive to 1 another.
A Rigorous Schedule
Each day of the retreat started with a forty-five-minute sit, principally beginning at seven o’clock AM. The rest of the day alternated sits with teachings, chanting, and time allowed for conscious silent strolling and meals. Meals had been to encompass conscious silence as nicely. We had been to keep away from email, phones and different gadgets, and as many different worldly distractions as we might, together with one another. Each day ended with a sit at eight o’clock PM - mainly a 13 hour day.Initially I discovered meditating a lot to be exhausting, but as the days glided by it felt much less so. Still, I used a quantity of conscious silent strolling durations to put down and easily rest.


The Over-active Brain
In the start, my mind came up with the most interesting pictures to distract me from my focus. spiritual retreats in Virginia was like an animal resisting capture. As I tried to give consideration to a phrase or phrase, a wild array of assorted rapid-fire imagery popped as a lot as attempt to steal my attention. My mind really invented a kind - like a tax kind or invoice - that I had by no means seen before, with portions of textual content 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 images and whispers to a few intruding thoughts right here and there. These I could simply notice after which return to my focus. Without the fixed psychological chatter I was capable of experience meditation more deeply.

Making Peace with the Past
When not sitting, chanting or attending a educating, we have been urged to stay silent and targeted on our internal selves. After the primary few days I found that, as I sat alone with my very own thoughts in silence, troubling recollections generally surfaced. However, because of my relaxed state, they surfaced with a new perspective that allowed me to view them in a different way. As a end result I had a breakthrough regarding one scene from my childhood that haunted me every so often; one small reason to be indignant was lifted from my burden...

Website: https://mindfulvalley.com/