What to expect on a mindfulness retreat
Mindfulness retreats are about as different as you can get from your typical vacation. They’re not about drinking rosé by the pool or partying in a mansion but instead involve several days of eating vegetarian meals, meditating, and exploring what it means to be mindful.
Many sceptics believe that mindfulness retreats are just another fad, with many seeing them as a luxury they can’t afford—even though the costs tend to be lower than most people think.
However, there is something special about going away for a few days to focus on being present.
These aren’t just any old vacations; they’re mindfulness retreats designed to rejuvenate your body and mind by immersing you in nature and challenging you to find peace within yourself.
It isn’t easy, but knowing what to expect on your first retreat will help make the experience much more enjoyable...
Mindfulness has become a buzzword in the past few years, with more and more people starting to practice it. It’s not just a fad, either – research proves that mindfulness benefits our mental health and general well-being.
Studies show that practising mindfulness could help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression; improve your ability to focus; increase your empathy; and even make you a nicer person!
Reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and negative thinking doesn’t sound like something we’d need a retreat to achieve – after all, it’s not the most taxing activity.
However, when you consider how much time we spend with our devices (often distracting us), in cars (also distracting us), at work (where stress levels tend to be high), or alone at home (with no distractions at all), it makes sense that we need somewhere away from all these things to relax our brains.
So what benefits does a retreat have?
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all for a yoga and meditation retreat. My personal top 5 benefits are below:
Get some space for my mind to get clarity on my life
Reset my health goals and cut out any bad habits like drinking and poor food choices
Meet Likeminded people
Connect with nature
Ground and have a break from work
These are just the reasons to choose there are lots more, like deepening your practice and creating new habits.
But the only way you will know what a retreat will be like is to go on one and see for yourself!