“My life is too busy.”
“If only I had more time.”
“I can’t take a break, I have too much to do.”
I think we have all heard ourselves say these words.
That feeling that the day is too short, the list too long and if only a magical holiday would appear everything would be better.
I have felt this way many times in my life, but what I have learned is that just choosing to take a break actually makes everything better.
The chance to be quiet within ourselves if only for 20 minutes, an hour or even better half a day or a whole day, makes every moment to come after so much saner and often a whole bunch kinder, too.
Waiting until we have the money and/or time to attend a meditation retreat isn’t realistic for most of us. We need regular doses of meditation retreat energy, and that is why we need to do-it-ourselves.
Some of the ways I make my own meditation retreat moments are:
- Going for a walk in nature for an hour and calling it a meditation retreat. I just keep noticing my breath, noticing nature around me, and resting in the luscious spaciousness of a whole hour just to be without having to do anything.
- Closing the door to a room big enough for a yoga mat. Stretching and moving with no pre-decided agenda, but only as my body desires.
- Having a hot bath and then just climbing into bed all hot and wet and staring at the ceiling or out the window just feeling the pulsing of the body.
- Closing my eyes wherever I happen to be (not if I’m driving!!) and feeling embraced by the darkness – even for just 2 minutes.
- Going to a yoga class and then going out for lunch alone, practicing mindful eating (which is just eating slowly and really noticing the food).
- Enrolling in a course from The Self Healing Academy and spending half a day working with the guided meditations for an individual chakra.
If we wait for everything to be calm and peaceful to meditate or take a break and feel embraced by the moment as it is, we will be waiting a long time.
We need to carve out time on a weekly basis to care for ourselves in a very quiet non-demanding way.
In my opinion this is essential to our well-being and our development of consciousness and loving-compassion.
However, we all need support. Support is great!
If you live in the Whitehorse area here are two suggestion to retreat with me in May:
(A Mini-Retreat with Ruth Lera)
Sunday May 8th
1:30pm to 5:30pm
Lorne Mtn. Community Center
FREE
(vegetarian/gluten free dinner included)
The Root Chakra is essential to our survival. It governs our sense of feeling safe in the world.
We have all had trauma and pain in our lives, and this can cause the Root Chakra to have less then optimal functioning.
In this 3 hour workshop Ruth will present guided meditation, visualizations, energy healing activities and discussions to help participants strengthen their relationship to the earth for the purpose of our own well-being and the well-being of the planet as a whole.
Register by e-mailing lmca@northwestel.net
Or
Saturday May 14th I am doing two workshops at different locations.
In the morning I will run Posture of Meditation at The Studio from 10am to 12pm and in the afternoon Walking Meditation at Breath of Life from 2pm to 4pm.
Let’s make this a retreat day and go for a group lunch at Birch and Bear in-between.
Who is with me?
Whatever way you decide to do it, do-it-yourself meditation retreats are the best. They are a chance for you to take control of your life and give yourself the quiet, consciousness development time in just the way you need.