Ian Gawler blog: Retreat and go forward

Could you use a break? Keen to rethink your priorities, perhaps even change your life? This post looks at how hectic modern life has become and why taking a personal retreat matters.

I ran into an old friend not long ago. How are you, I asked. "Really busy, thanks" came the familiar reply, delivered with a contented grin.

For a lot of people today, being busy has turned into a kind of badge of honour. Being productive and useful certainly has real value, but where does balance fit in? What happens when the busyness leaves no room for peace, no room for reflection, no room to reassess, reaffirm or redirect what matters most?

For some, busyness looks like a modern twist on old-fashioned laziness. These days, the more we have to do, the less we have to think! Or at least, the less time we have to think about what is challenging, difficult or simply important in our lives.

So amid all this busyness, there has never been a stronger case for considering a retreat. A retreat gives you more than a holiday. They work best when they blend rest and relaxation with time for learning, reflection and review, and ideally meditation. Simple food, space to be alone and, ideally, a spiritual theme or atmosphere. Time to be with yourself. Time to get to know yourself a little better. Time to reconsider your priorities and move forward in life.

So, do you need a break? Feeling stressed? Feeling as though the busyness has become too much and you have lost your way a little? Feeling that you need to give some time to yourself, to regain balance and refocus your priorities?

In my view, given the busy lifestyle so many of us are caught up in, at least one retreat a year is essential.

I know it is easy to find reasons why you have neither the time nor the space for a retreat. You are so busy, aren't you? And how will everyone else manage? But if not now, when? If not now, perhaps 20 years slip by and you wake up one day wondering what it was all about?
Perhaps a retreat is good not only for us but also for our family, our friends and our work. When we are in balance and carry some inner peace and contentment, our physical and psychological health is sure to be better, and our capacity to work and be helpful is greatly enhanced.  Maybe a retreat helps us rebalance financial preoccupations with the rest of our lives. Maybe parents being away for a while is actually good for children, helping them with independence and appreciation. Now there is a radical notion.

Retreats come in a wide variety. Many spiritually focused groups offer them, and so do more commercially orientated places. The Gawler Foundation runs a range of excellent retreats centred on meditation, a healthy lifestyle and time for personal development and reflection. Over the years I saw many people transform their lives for the better at these programs.

And while retreating with like-minded people is wonderful and brings many benefits, some people I know simply take the phone off the hook, ignore the door and arrange their own retreat at home. Or they head to a place of their own choosing and create their own retreat atmosphere and conditions.
Since another new year has begun, why not make a plan? Give yourself a real treat and go on a retreat! It all begins with the intention.

Ruth and I have just finished Sogyal Rinpoche's annual retreat. It was marvellous. Rinpoche taught directly for two hours or more each day. There were also videos of his best recent teachings, study and discussion groups, and time for meditation and other practices. 600 people attended, including 120 children with their own dedicated program. Great company! Very beneficial.

This year's theme was "Compassionate Living and Fearless Dying", so next week I will share a little about what that was all about.

RESOURCES:
Retreats: Sogyal Rinpoche: Rigpa
               The Gawler Foundation

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