A Meditation Retreat Can Teach You A Great Deal
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The best way to learn meditation is to attend a retreat. “Meditation retreats are like full-immersion courses, where we can develop — or deepen — our capacity to find stillness of mind and greater awareness,” explains Sharon Salzberg, a Buddhist teacher from the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. “These are skills that, if we keep practicing them, can affect every aspect of our lives.” There are a number of wonderful meditation centers, retreats and immersive experiences around the country if you’re looking for more than just a tourist’s vacation — but a vacation that truly stirs the soul.
Travel and Leisure Magazine recently rated their top 10 internationalretreats for learning meditation. At the top of their list was Ananda in the Himalayas, a stunning 100-acre estate in Uttaranchal, India, which provides broad views of the foothills of the Himalayan mountains, the temple villages of Hardiwar and Rishikesh, and the Ganges River. Amenities consist of a yoga and meditation pavilions, a 21,000 square foot spa, an antique billiards room, a maharajah’s palace, and a tea lounge.
Here, folks will be given one-on-one guided meditation tailored to their individual needs. Stretching, Buddhist meditation teachings, yoga and breathing techniques are taught in hour long classes throughout the day. This center draws in all kinds of individuals, including many luxury travelers who have never visited a spiritual getaway previously.
Another place to learn meditation is the White Cloud Sanctuary in Santa Ana, Costa Rica. Just west of the San Jos capital, you’ll stay in a one-person tile-roofed casita with its own kitchen, bathroom and living area, while enjoying breathtaking mountain views. This quaint 13-acre property amid the jungle mountainside can only take one person at a time, so you’ll be completely alone in your rigorous study of Tai Chi and QiGong meditation. When you’re not meditating, you can take a walk through organic vegetable gardens, horse farms and groves of mango, banana and papaya trees. Meals aren’t included with this program, but you can purchase healthy food at the lodge.
A third destination to learn meditation is the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. Located on a 200-acre property surrounding a grand mansion, you’ll find 79 dormitory-style single and double rooms with shared bathrooms, dining facilities, outdoor Buddhist shrines and meditation spaces. For a more intense pilgrimage, you can stay at the Forest Refuge, a long-term retreat center set several miles back into the countryside. The practice here involves Vipassana (insight) and Metta (loving kindness) meditation. You’ll sit and you’ll walk, but your meditative practices will all be done in complete silence. Eventually, through silence, you will find insight and self-awakening.
Some people choose exercise or therapy to eliminate their stress. Others use easy meditation exercises to help them see the problem or situation in a different light. Mindfulness meditation is tool used by millions to help enhance their lives and free themselves of stress.
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