Yoga retreat?

'Retreat' is a period of special time and space of solitude and seclusion for the mind to be with itself, to retreat from worldly social interactive activities, to allow the mind to have the opportunity to move away from restlessness and its usual habits, to turn the outgoing tendency of the mind inwards for introspection, for self-inquiry, to know its-Self, even if there are other people being in the same retreat.

Real (yoga and meditation) retreats are not designed for socializing or mingling. It's an opportunity for us to practice solitude. As solitude is an important element in conquest of mind or fear. Some minds are fear of being with people, they want to be alone to feel safe. While some minds are fear of being alone, they want to be surrounded by or interacting with some other minds all the time. But both of them also is about fear. Fear derives from ignorance and attachment. There's no peace in the mind, always thinking that something bad is going to happen, or somebody is going to hurt us, either when we are alone, or when we are being with some other people. There is so much tension in the mind and vibrating into the surrounding environment.

If we are afraid of being with ourselves even just for a few days, and 'have to' cling onto other people in the retreat all the time, please be considerate that we need to learn how to respect other people in the retreat centre who purposely coming here to have their own solitude time and space for themselves for some personal practice in seclusion, as what the retreat is all about. We could be disturbing other people's precious time and space to be with themselves and focusing on their own practice in the retreat centre.

We cannot expect everyone to be understanding towards this simple and basic principle about 'retreat'. As there are many other yoga retreats in the world that are not really about silencing the mind for self-inquiry, but it's more like commercialized luxury pleasurable enjoyment and socializing kind of yoga holidays.

In the end, it's about compassion. Being compassionate towards those who are influenced by ignorance and whose mind is out of their own control, and being over-powered by fear towards many things. Yoga and meditation practice are here for beings who have fear, to learn to deal with fear, and to let go of fear. But, most of us refuse to confront with the fear in us, and choose to avoid what we are fear of. Actually, there are many spiritual/religious/cultural/social/educational/political teachings, thinking, belief and values emphasize on planting 'fear' in the mind in order to control human beings to behave or not behaving in certain way complying with those teachings, thinking, belief and values in order to empowering and sustaining their particular spirituality/religion/culture/society/educational system/politics.

 

Inquire towards the truth of everything. Do not blind-believing, blind-following, blind-practicing and blind-propagating anything.

Most importantly, it is being compassionate towards ourselves if our minds are still under the influence of certain fear and still couldn't let go of fear, but with awareness, and without attachment, identification or aversion towards the presence of fear. All is impermanent. The one who perceives fear and the fear itself, are both impermanent.

Om shanti.