Do you know how to make a spiritual retreat?

There are many different types of retreats and they can be organized by any spiritual doctrine, religion or philosophy. Even you can organize your own retreat, but they all have one thing in common: they seek to help you reconnect. But do you really know how to make a retreat?

To answer this question, first of all, it is important to understand what is a spiritual retreat, its usefulness, when to make and the most common types. In addition, there are important details for its successful realization that can not be ignored. See what it is, how to do and what can hinder your retreat.

Spiritual Retreat - The Power of the Pause

One of the great advantages of making a spiritual retreat is the possibility of getting away from daily activities. Consequently, one ends up taking an important break, to catch up on ideas and to elaborate the latest events.

Another benefit of making a retreat, regardless of how it is formatted, is to leave the mind clearer and open to new things. This way, it is easier to think of the next steps to be taken in your life. Understand better what is a retreat, what is it for, when to do it and the main types.

What is a spiritual retreat?

In general terms, a spiritual retreat is a time that you reserve exclusively for yourself, without interference from the external environment. This can be done for a day or a week, as much as you can and want. It can be done in a group or individually, as long as the rules are agreed upon so that everything goes well.

In general, it is a time of silence, contemplation, analysis and gratitude, where one seeks to reconnect with what he or she considers sacred. Anyone, of any religion can make a spiritual retreat, it is enough to want to and to organize oneself adequately for it.

It may be important to let your loved ones know about the retreat, so they don't worry. After all, you will be without internet connection, with your cell phone turned off and preferably, out of your house, if that's possible.

What is a spiritual retreat for?

The main objective of a spiritual retreat is to have quality time to be able to turn back to oneself and contemplate creation. We live in the midst of a flood of information, with intense and rapid communication, where thoughts end up being over stimulated, to the detriment of feeling.

In this way, the retreat comes as an encouragement, a way to pull the brakes and seek to understand what is really going on in your life. It is a moment, not only of disconnection with the routine, but of connection with the whole. For many, it works as a mental detox, focusing on growth and expansion of consciousness.

When to make a spiritual retreat?

To make a spiritual retreat, you should seek a way to disconnect, including from work or study. Thus, the best time for this is during vacations or weekends, when the level of requests is reduced, leaving more free time to be able to focus on you.

On the other hand, if you feel that your mind is not at all productive, that things are too heavy for you, it may be a good choice to stop. Also, you may feel that it is time to think more about life, in a broad and unrestricted way, and the retreat is a great opportunity for this.

What are the types of spiritual retreat?

It is increasingly common to see religions like Christianity making retreats, but originally this is a practice of older traditions, such as Buddhism, for example. But not every retreat is religious, because there are several strands and uses for it.

There are spiritual retreats that use shamanism, meditation, yoga, dancing and singing to reconnect. This, totally unrelated to any religion. Usually a natural diet is used, sometimes vegetarian or based on ayurveda and similar.

There are also couples retreats, promoted by churches and other living centers, which aim to instruct and unite people more within the relationship. Almost like an intensive couple therapy, where various aspects of the relationship will be worked on.

How to make a spiritual retreat

A spiritual retreat is full of advantages, but only if you do it in the right way. Good planning is essential, as well as the organization of each activity and all the necessary material. This will make you not have to stop everything just to buy or get an item that was missing.

To make a retreat already organized is very simple, just follow the established rules and enjoy. However, if you go alone, it is important to have everything well defined, bought and organized in advance. There are also other important details for the success of your retreat, such as the day, place, activities and quality of the connection created.

Choose a day of the month

It is essential to choose a quieter day, where the chances of interference are lower, so that you can seek your reconnection. Generally, the beginning and end of the month are busier, because of work and even household activities, such as shopping and payments.

So, set a date that works well for you, like a weekend for example. Also, balance the balance between getting away and the much needed socialization, avoiding making the retreat on days like birthdays and the like.

Once you've set the day, let everyone you need to know (so they don't worry about your phone being off) and post an absence message on email, WhatsApp and wherever else you think is necessary.

Choose a suitable location

Choosing a suitable location for the spiritual retreat is fundamental to the success of the process. After all, there is no point in planning every activity or minute of your retreat if the environment doesn't allow it. It doesn't have to be a chalet on top of a mountain, in the middle of silence - although that would be very nice, but it can't be in chaos either.

And we are not talking about the total absence of noise from cars or similar, after all, many live in the city and that is the reality. But rather an environment where you can withdraw without being disturbed.

So, for those who have a large family or share a house with other people, this can be done even in a hotel. Use your creativity and adapt whatever is necessary.

Choose a meditation

When preparing your spiritual retreat, it is important to research some guided meditations to do during the process, if you are adept at them. If you prefer, choose the method you are most comfortable with, whether it is zazen, free meditation, ayahuasca, snuff or any other technique you are familiar with.

Book all the necessary materials, including music with the correct meditation tempo or sounds you find most appropriate (waves, mantras, nature sounds etc). If you want, use a bell or Indian bowl at the beginning and end. Of course, there is always the option of meditation apps, full of resources to help you.

Connect with yourself

The spiritual retreat is a way to connect with your inner self, with your essence. Not that there is a ready-made formula for this, but the factors that make up a retreat help a lot. Therefore, try to be present throughout the whole time, reconnecting with yourself during the process.

For this, in addition to meditation, practice conscious breathing, try to do all the scheduled activities with awareness. Also allow yourself moments to ramble, let your mind flow in a constructive leisure. There is also room for reflection and self-knowledge.

Have a snack

Although the spiritual retreat is related to your essence, your physical body also needs to be nourished. And there is no better time to do this properly than during the days you have chosen to rebalance yourself. Therefore, take the opportunity to eat a balanced diet and remember the snack breaks.

When you go to eat, remember to eat slowly and feeling the taste and texture of the food. Also think about the whole process that brought that dish to your table, thinking from its origin and thanking everyone who worked on it so that it would be in front of you.

Write down your thoughts

Leave a notebook and pen reserved just for these moments of spiritual retreat, as there is a good chance that very interesting insights will occur. Also, there is no better time to notice and evaluate your automatic thoughts effectively.

This can be done in journal form or with random excerpts, as long as you write them down with context. That way, you can better evaluate each one when you go back and think about the themes. Writing down your thoughts is key to being able to prolong the effects of your retreat.

What can get in the way of your spiritual retreat

In the same way that a lack of planning can get in the way of your spiritual retreat, other factors can also make everything more complicated. Among them, the fear of connecting, the famous procrastination, unforeseen events and, of course, the cell phone. Understand each one of them better.

Fear of connecting with yourself

Staying silent and connecting with your essence can be scary for many people. That's because, besides having to go through the process of self-knowledge - of your best and worst - it also takes an effort to quiet the mind and think about what you are and what you would like to be. Don't let fear stop you from growing, persist.

Procrastination

Procrastination can hinder both the planning of your spiritual retreat, as well as its execution. After all, during the chosen day, you can simply put off less comfortable tasks, such as doing that longer meditation or some yoga postures. A simple and effective recommendation: get out there and do it, that's all.

Unforeseen

Unforeseen things can happen and you can't avoid them, but you can prepare for them. Try to have a plan B, in case something doesn't go as planned and keep calm, always keeping in mind that these things can happen.

Cell phone

Notifications, calls, feed updates... these are just a few ways that cell phones can get in the way of your spiritual retreat. If you are going to use an app, like a meditation app, disable your SIM card for calls and internet, keeping only the essentials for your retreat.

What learnings can be taken from the spiritual retreat?

Making a spiritual retreat, either alone or with a group led, is always valid. After all, among the countless learnings - many of them extremely personal - are a deeper knowledge about your essence, helping in the next steps of your life.

Also the reconnection with your Self is an onus of the process, as well as the recognition of your qualities, to reinforce them. Another important learning is that of your points to improve, which together with the other points learned, help you to be the best version of yourself, every day.