 The Gentle Retreat experience provides an opportunity to relax, reflect, and restore. But it’s not simply about the weekend. The skills you take away with you can bring meaningful benefits to your whole life. Our programme includes a daily session of meditation. What is meditation? The English word “meditation” is derived from the Latin meditatio, from the verb meditari, “to think”. It refers to a family of techniques that help us to be present in the moment and fully aware. The practice of meditation enables us to focus attention; to overcome reflexive perception and discursive (analytical) thoughts. Meditation teaches us how to retrain our attention. Meditation is a core element of Eastern religions and has been practised in Asia for thousands of years. Since the 1970s, this cognitive technique has gained traction in the West as an effective therapy for health conditions such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), sleep disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As well as addressing negative aspects of life, meditation also has the potential to enhance positive emotions and experiences. Any moment of our lives can be meditative, and being mindful of those moments of awareness is integral to the process of changing our reactions to our experiences. Practices of “mindfulness” have evolved, in recent decades, to provide tools and techniques to address negative psychological factors such as anxiety and stress. Yet mindfulness can also increase positive variables, such as happiness, meaning in life, and the savouring of autonomy (we close each retreat with a “smiling meditation”). The many different meditative techniques are all based on the art of concentration and conscious choice. We consciously focus our attention on the moment, or one aspect of the moment, and we choose to shut out all other experiences. The focal point might be, for example, the breath, self-compassion, or the sensation of pleasure or pain that we’re experiencing. Or it could be a movement-related focus, such as walking. How does meditation work? By harnessing the power of metacognitive awareness (the ability to think about thinking), self-regulation becomes easier. The earliest known studies of metacognition – the ability to take an objective view of one’s own thoughts – were written in the fourth century BC by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. The word “metacognition” comes from Ancient Greek, “above cognition”. Metacognitive awareness allows us to accept reality without the compulsion to change it. In a state of heightened awareness, we experience our thoughts as part of a bigger picture, and we understand that they don’t define reality. Long-term suffering can cause a shift in perspective, drawing our attention inward. We become numb to other stimuli, and we start to identify ourselves with the suffering. Experience becomes increasingly subjective, and dominated by pain. Meditation promotes a non-reactive and observant attitude to thoughts and emotions that can enhance the ability to self-regulate. We learn to open our minds to all experiences and to accept them. Rather than reacting to thoughts and feelings, we merely observe them, without analysis or judgement. Join us on a retreat Gentle Retreat offers a long weekend of meditation, yoga, and relaxation in the peaceful Norfolk countryside. For more information, contact us at [email protected]. To book your place on a retreat, go to BookRetreats, where you’ll find details of prices and availability.  Comments are closed.
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