Mindful Monday: I am leaving for a 10 day silent retreat. Yes - complete silence!
In a few days, I'm heading up north to a 10 day silent meditation retreat. I am very excited!
Yes - complete silence. There is no reading, writing, listening to music. We do long hours of meditation (10 hours or more) and also walking meditations in nature. A bonus - the food is delicious.
You might be thinking...'Why would you do that?' or 'I could never be silent for 10 days!'
Well, diving into the stillness is my passion, so 10 days of silence feels like a luxury to me. And this is coming from a person who NEVER liked to be silent or sit still. The thought of being alone with me and my thoughts was terrifying. (Oh how times have changed. Ha!)
The first time I did this same retreat was 23 years ago on Vancouver Island. AND it was also the first time I had ever been to a retreat or had instruction on how to meditate. Talk about diving in with two feet!
What is easy? No.
What it worth it? Yes. It was life-changing.
I did several more of these retreats during that year. And I actually spent most of that summer volunteering as a cook in the kitchen was which an incredible experience.
So 22 years later I am going again.
And this is the thing...
You may not have the desire or the time to spend 10 days in silence. You don't have to.
ANYTIME you stop during the day to 'be' is of benefit.
5 minutes of meditation a day can be life-changing.
If we never take the time to stop and pause we may find ourselves feeling unfulfilled or have an emptiness on the inside that we can't seem to fill.
The ego mind tells us that this emptiness is because we are missing something in our life or we have to fix something in our life in order to be happy. This is a lie. It's a trap. And just when we think we have it all (the money, relationship, job, fit body, vacation, new car, house etc...)...there will be a new 'something else' that we are convinced we need to fill the void.
It is a never-ending cycle. I know how it feels. This was me.
The fulfillment and joy it is not found in stuff. You can't buy it in a store. It is invaluable. AND it is available to us in each and every moment when we take the time to stop and go inward.
I look forward to connecting with you when I return.
In the meantime...
I send you my love and invite you to stop and explore your inner world this week - one moment at a time.
Diane