The quieter you become, the more you are
– Rumi
able to hear.
In quieting down the thoughts in your ‘noisy’ mind, you become quiet in the truest sense and in this state of silence, you gain access to your inner wisdom, or intuition.
Autopilot
The mind is constantly thinking. Just like your heart beats on its own, your mind thinks on its own. Research suggests that we have 70,000 thoughts per day, or possibly many more, most of which are habitual and repetitive. As a result, we live most of our lives on autopilot, lost in thoughts – either rehashing the past or rehearsing the future. This unconscious attention can trigger habits of thinking that are unhelpful and lead to stress.
Being in the present moment
Mindfulness allows you to stay in the present moment. When you are meditating, you are no longer caught up with thoughts in an unconscious way. Instead, you consciously focus your attention on your breathing, or other anchor. As your attention is on your breath, thoughts will still run in the background but will eventually subside. Meditation helps us with letting go of our thoughts; seeing them for what they are – simply events passing in the moment.
Inner wisdom
Intelligence exists not only in the mind but also within the body. In fact, the mind intelligence is acquired (from outside) through learning and observation. But inner intelligence, which is present in every single cell in your body, is universal. It is ageless and extremely powerful. This is the intelligence that built your body and it’s what runs your body on a daily basis.
You can also call this intelligence your intuition or your inner voice. The only way to get access to this intelligence is through body awareness.
By stepping into silence, allowing the mind noise to settle down, you can use your freed-up attention to consciously notice your body and reconnect with your natural resilience and wisdom.
The Rich Benefits of Going on Retreat
Making time in your busy life to go on a retreat is one of the finest gifts you can give yourself. A retreat is an investment in your health and in your personal relationship with yourself. A retreat will give you a chance to pause and look at your life from a new perspective and often unlock answers to the questions that you usually can’t take the time to ask.
Taking a retreat is a nurturing ‘time-out’ just for you; a time to rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit; to reconnect with your authentic self; to reconnect with nature; to get quiet and spend your time ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’.
In today’s hectic connected world, our minds are bombarded with a continual stream of stimuli, which can easily lead us to feel exhausted or overwhelmed. You might recognize the sensation of your mind feeling ‘full’. Just as your body needs a break after exercise, your brain needs a break from constant stimuli.
During a meditation retreat, you finally give your mind the total rejuvenation it craves–not just the few minutes you manage to squeeze in normally. This allows you to fully experience the feeling of true mental rest. Once that feeling is familiar, it’s much easier to draw upon it in your daily life.