The spiritual retreats They are a space where the silence and self-discovery. Nowadays, they have become very fashionable because They are usually celebrated in nature and humans are in need of union with Mother Earth. In addition, spiritual retreats should be a space for connection with the present and calm.

Spiritual retreat: what is it

It is often thought that a spiritual retreat has to do with religion or prayers, however, it does not necessarily have to be that way. With the spiritual retreats we simply search step away from our daily lives to gain perspective and observe those parts of us that during the daily hustle and bustle tend to remain hidden. Withdrawals may contain talks, workshops and meditations. Also, they can be a space where silence prevails, however, there are retreats in which speaking is allowed.

A spiritual retreat provides us with a temporary rest, but with the purpose of investigate inside ourselves. The intention of the retreat is to help us connect with our spiritual dimension. A retreat is not a vacation or a few days with themed activities. For this reason, it is advisable to do it alone or with a group of people with similar goals. In addition, the place where the retreat is hosted is preferably remote and in nature.

The main reason that leads you to a spiritual retreat is the will to reconnect with your spiritual part and want regain inner balance. Retreats serve to take a break from daily stress and practice tools that you can later use in your daily life, such as meditation. They are a space in which find inner peace and learn to extend it to your usual life. Furthermore, when you move away from everyday life, you can return to it with a new perspective: you value more the usual comforts or the people you usually spend time with.

Do you want to reconnect with your spiritual part? This guided meditation will help you enter Zen mode.

Spiritual retreat: characteristics

There is many types of withdrawals. In fact, you could organize a retreat yourself. Simply, you would need a remote place in nature where you can spend a few days meditating and reflecting. Even though there are different types of withdrawals, all share some characteristics:

• They are spaces of disconnection of our ordinary lives and also of digital disconnection. Therefore, it is usually celebrated in nature and away from the noise of the cities.
• They share time to reflect and learn.
• They invite you to contemplation. Consequently, you rest and return to your life with your batteries charged. However, this may vary depending on the type of spiritual retreat. There is some retreats in which some discomfort is soughtsince it is believed that this is necessary for spiritual growth.
• You strengthen the spiritual dimension with the aim of understanding it better and living more aligned.
• They can have a duration from one night to two or three months. It will depend on the type of inner work you want to do, your personal situation and the weight that the spiritual dimension has in your life.
• There is usually meditation in all spiritual retreats, but the type of practice will vary.

Spiritual retreat: what it is for

Let’s see the different types of spiritual retreats that you could find and what objective each one has.

Meditation retreats

There are retreats where you go only to meditate. The diet is usually vegetarian or vegan. This type of withdrawal has main objective that you learn a specific meditative practice. For example:

• Vipassana Meditation Retreats. Vipassana means “see things as they are«It was a meditation technique rediscovered by Gotama Buddha more than 2,500 years ago, for Buddha it was the remedy to universal evils.

This technique is taught in ten-day retreats in which you have to remain silent. Participants learn the method at no cost. Each person makes the donation they want. The people who are in charge of taking care of you during the retreat are volunteers who have previously participated in a Vipassana retreat.

It’s a three step training:

1. We must refrain from killing, stealing, engaging in sexual activity, lying, or consuming addictive substances. The objective is calm the mind.
2. Next, we must develop some dominion over the mindlearning to maintain attention on the flow of our breathing. Next, we start observe sensations throughout the body without reacting to them.
3. Finally, participants learn the meditation of benevolent love towards all beings.

The goal is to share the purity developed during the retreat with all beings.

Other types of spiritual retreats

The different types of withdrawals include:

• religious retreatswhich are retreats that seek to find God and reconnect with your religion.
• Catholic spiritual retreat. Generally, they are held in convents where you live with the monks while you can focus on prayer and study. The goal is for you to feel closer to faith.
• Buddhist or Zen retreat. Generally, they are held in a Buddhist Center and the objective may be to receive an initiation or learn a specific practice, as well as reconnect with the Buddhist community. There is usually prayer and meditation. An initiation is a Buddhist ritual in which a qualified teacher empowers the practitioner to create a bond with a deity. Deities are related to health, compassion, femininity, wisdom, power, etc.
• Rest retreats. There are spaces where you only go to rest. There are no workshops, no activities, no meditations. You don’t even have to worry about basic needs (cooking, cleaning, making your bed, etc.) The only goal is rest.

• Yoga retreats. I like to differentiate yoga retreats from meditation retreats because both activities do not necessarily have to go together. At yoga retreats the food is usually vegetarian or vegan. You go to perfect your technique and learn. You will find several daily yoga sessions and maybe some meditation as well.
• Conscious travel. This type of spiritual retreats consist of going to discover another country that catches your attention due to its religious or spiritual dimension. These types of trips are usually made to India or South America.
• Pilgrimage. Pilgrimages are still spiritual retreats. It’s a trip to a shrine or sacred place with important personal, spiritual or religious value. The Camino de Santiago is a pilgrimage, there are those who go to the Holy Land, the Vatican, the Chartres Cathedral, Lourdes or Mecca. You decide if it has a more religious or spiritual connotation.
• Personal growth retreats. This type of retreat is the most fashionable. A group of people get together and practice various types of meditation, yoga sessions and learn techniques for holistic wellness such as, for example, conscious breathing or aromatherapy. The main objective is to be a space of peace and health where to find real connections with the other participants. In addition, the members must feel free to express their needs and be very cared for by the facilitators of the retreat.

As you can see, you have many options to choose from. spiritual retreat that best suits you and your current life moment. The most important thing is that you know in advance what you are signing up for: you need to know the details of the accommodation, the nature of the activities, the materials you have to bring in your suitcase, the type of food, how many people you will share the activities or meditations with, etc.

But, above all, you see with the very open mind to rediscover yourself and return to your “normal” life with a more present, calm and happy vision. Remember: the journey of transformation begins with you.