What To Expect On Retreat
To Find Space
Without screens, cars, advertising boards and phones, the world opens up. You can think that going on retreat is all about sitting down with your eyes closed and trying to empty your mind – it’s not! At Taraloka, we are blessed with beautiful gardens that change with the seasons. So, walking and silence is a big part of what makes a retreat special. Something as simple as sitting down with a cup of tea and watching the hares playing around the picking patch can be the highlight of even a short time here.
To Change
I’d challenge anyone to find a person who has spent some time on retreat who hasn’t, in some way, experienced some important shift that has fed into their ordinary lives. It might be starting up a meditation habit but more often, it is something simple: deleting a few apps off your phone, texting a friend who came to mind and reconnecting, deciding to spend more time in nature, to hold one’s responsibilities more lightly. Be careful! You never know what the change might be. Some folks change their jobs! Big or small, an encounter with this place invariably changes the way one sees life. We’ve yet to meet someone who came to regret it.
To Meditate
Of course, meditation is what draws so many to a retreat at Taraloka. But our way isn’t about eight hours on the cushion, starting at the crack of dawn and pushing through to sunset. For a start, we want you to see our wonderful sunsets! You can expect a session in the morning, some teaching and guidance during the day, and a chance to apply different forms of meditation in the afternoon. It should enable you to relax and reflect on ways to change in your life.
Not all meditation is about sitting down crossed-legged, either. What do we teach? We try walking meditation, lying down meditation, meditations that cultivate kindness and compassion towards ourselves and others. The purpose is not to empty the mind. In fact, that is an almost impossible task! The purpose is to grow our sense of awareness, sit with the breath, or reflect on the people we love, opening our hearts to our own experience. It should feel nourishing and supportive in your everyday life.
Healthy food
Healthy food, healthy mind. Here, we offer a vegan diet. Not everyone who comes on retreat is a vegan. Nor even a vegetarian. Our kitchen team plan tasty recipes that are tried and tested, cooked by volunteers who have been coming to Taraloka for years. Mealtimes are a chance for communal practice and are when you can connect with others and share each other’s journeys. It is less about the food and more about the friendship. And, what is not to love about someone else cooking for you for a weekend? Get your questions answered here.
To Go on Another One
Once you’ve experienced the calm and beauty of a retreat, it’s hard to stop. Getting away from our busy lives and giving ourselves a break, surrounded by people looking for the same thing, rarely ends up being a ‘one time only’ thing. Over the years, we have found that people feel the pull to return – sometimes here, sometimes to other retreat centres. Retreats can become part of a cycle of one’s life. It creates a deep sense of connectedness to one’s own wellbeing and when you return home, you can be sure of the positive effect not just on yourself but on others in your life. When we look after ourselves, we are looking after other people too. Not sure which is for you? Check out our guidance here.
