Some people asked us, "What are the fun holiday activities we can do during the free time between the yoga and meditation practice sessions in the yoga retreat?"
Many people might be unaware of the yoga practice are being carried out in every moment whether during the yoga practice 'sessions' and outside the yoga practice 'sessions' during a yoga retreat, or in everyday life.
Not that 'doing/enjoying some fun holiday activities' are wrong or bad, but the yoga practice is all about changing the worldly behavior pattern/habitual action and reaction of the mind, filtering/reducing/restricting/limiting the physical and mental activities, to withdraw the outgoing tendency of the mind, to be quieting the restless pleasure/stimulation seeking mind, while freeing the mind from egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, to prepare the mind for meditation, to see the truth of things as it is, be free from ignorance and suffering that derived from ignorance.
In a 'retreat', this yoga practice of restricting the activities of the body and the mind and quieting the restless modification of the mind is being put into practice, seizing the opportunity of participating in a 'retreat' for an extended period of time, to be retreating from all kinds of worldly physical and mental activities that gratify the desire of craving for pleasurable actions, adventures, thrills, achievements, enjoyment and stimulation. Retreat participants should make use of the free time in between the yoga practice 'sessions' or other than performing daily task such like tidying/cleaning the living space, taking meals and shower, to 'take rest' and 'be quiet' physically and mentally, as well as observing the habitual action and reaction and the desire of gross/subtle craving of the mind especially during the time 'not doing anything particular physically or mentally' not even doing some kind of physical or mental yoga practice to occupy the mind, or when 'boredom' and 'the sense of meaninglessness' starts to manifest in the mind urging the mind to go out there to be doing something to get rid of the 'boredom' and 'the sense of meaninglessness'.
The untrained mind usually doesn't like to 'be quiet physically and mentally' being in the present moment reducing/limiting/restricting the physical and mental activities or 'doing nothing particular' not even some kind of 'spiritual practice' or 'healthy/meaningful activities' to be occupying the mind with 'something', as the mind will get bored and feel meaningless, and hence, it needs to be constantly seeking actions/adventures/thrills/achievements, enjoyment and stimulation. And hence, the restlessness. And yoga practice is to free the mind from this worldly thinking/belief/practice/habit of 'constantly need to occupy the mind with something to keep it busy/restless so that it doesn't get bored or feel meaningless'.
We don't just reduce/restrict/limit/retreat from worldly physical and mental activities during a 'retreat' for a few days or weeks, we also practice partial or maximum retreat from worldly social affairs, activities and interactions as much as possible in our everyday life to stop feeding the desire and the outgoing pleasure/stimulation seeking tendency of the mind.
Contemplate on this, and find out whether oneself is practicing yoga to free the mind from the habitual worldly behavior pattern, to quiet/silent the restless modification of the mind, by renouncing/retreating from worldly egoistic physical and mental activities that empower egoism and restlessness, or just doing some kinds of 'yoga practice' a few hours a day regularly to be gaining some impermanent/momentary physical and mental benefits to gratify the desire of craving and aversion of the mind, to feel good, healthy and meaningful. And there's nothing wrong either if oneself is not practicing yoga to change the habitual worldly behavior habit of the mind, to free the mind from ignorance and egoism, to quiet/silent the modification of the mind. But for those who sincerely want to practice yoga, they can contemplate on this.
Many people might be unaware of the yoga practice are being carried out in every moment whether during the yoga practice 'sessions' and outside the yoga practice 'sessions' during a yoga retreat, or in everyday life.
Not that 'doing/enjoying some fun holiday activities' are wrong or bad, but the yoga practice is all about changing the worldly behavior pattern/habitual action and reaction of the mind, filtering/reducing/restricting/limiting the physical and mental activities, to withdraw the outgoing tendency of the mind, to be quieting the restless pleasure/stimulation seeking mind, while freeing the mind from egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, to prepare the mind for meditation, to see the truth of things as it is, be free from ignorance and suffering that derived from ignorance.
In a 'retreat', this yoga practice of restricting the activities of the body and the mind and quieting the restless modification of the mind is being put into practice, seizing the opportunity of participating in a 'retreat' for an extended period of time, to be retreating from all kinds of worldly physical and mental activities that gratify the desire of craving for pleasurable actions, adventures, thrills, achievements, enjoyment and stimulation. Retreat participants should make use of the free time in between the yoga practice 'sessions' or other than performing daily task such like tidying/cleaning the living space, taking meals and shower, to 'take rest' and 'be quiet' physically and mentally, as well as observing the habitual action and reaction and the desire of gross/subtle craving of the mind especially during the time 'not doing anything particular physically or mentally' not even doing some kind of physical or mental yoga practice to occupy the mind, or when 'boredom' and 'the sense of meaninglessness' starts to manifest in the mind urging the mind to go out there to be doing something to get rid of the 'boredom' and 'the sense of meaninglessness'.
The untrained mind usually doesn't like to 'be quiet physically and mentally' being in the present moment reducing/limiting/restricting the physical and mental activities or 'doing nothing particular' not even some kind of 'spiritual practice' or 'healthy/meaningful activities' to be occupying the mind with 'something', as the mind will get bored and feel meaningless, and hence, it needs to be constantly seeking actions/adventures/thrills/achievements, enjoyment and stimulation. And hence, the restlessness. And yoga practice is to free the mind from this worldly thinking/belief/practice/habit of 'constantly need to occupy the mind with something to keep it busy/restless so that it doesn't get bored or feel meaningless'.
We don't just reduce/restrict/limit/retreat from worldly physical and mental activities during a 'retreat' for a few days or weeks, we also practice partial or maximum retreat from worldly social affairs, activities and interactions as much as possible in our everyday life to stop feeding the desire and the outgoing pleasure/stimulation seeking tendency of the mind.
Contemplate on this, and find out whether oneself is practicing yoga to free the mind from the habitual worldly behavior pattern, to quiet/silent the restless modification of the mind, by renouncing/retreating from worldly egoistic physical and mental activities that empower egoism and restlessness, or just doing some kinds of 'yoga practice' a few hours a day regularly to be gaining some impermanent/momentary physical and mental benefits to gratify the desire of craving and aversion of the mind, to feel good, healthy and meaningful. And there's nothing wrong either if oneself is not practicing yoga to change the habitual worldly behavior habit of the mind, to free the mind from ignorance and egoism, to quiet/silent the modification of the mind. But for those who sincerely want to practice yoga, they can contemplate on this.
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