I love self-retreats and have done about 20 of them in my own apartments. The retreats have ranged from 3-11 days. I usually have a routine to wake up early and meditate for a few hours before eating breakfast. On an average, I would put in about 10-12 hours of meditation per day.
Every action such as eating, washing up and showering should be done mindfully.
Without any people around there's no talking which calms the mind and deepens the meditation practice.
So, what's the charm of meditating all alone for days on end? It's great practice, totally free of charge (as long as it's done at home) and you can do it whenever it suits your schedule.
By committing to a
self-retreat, you really put yourself on the spiritual path. In my experience self-retreats really boost determination and self-esteem – you have everything to win!
As I've already mentioned I usually discipline myself and wake up early in the morning during self-retreats. When you meditate all alone you have to motivate yourself which can be challenging a times. By setting a schedule there's less room for distractions.
During group retreats there's a lot of mental energy supporting you. As a self-retreatant, you must depend on yourself which at times feels like running uphill with the wind pushing you back.
If your place happens to be noisy, then that's another challenge to embrace.
Your First Self-Retreat
It takes a few days to really calm the mind, anyway start out gently. I recommend that you kick off with a 2-3 day retreat and build from there. However, in my experience 5 days is the shortest quality retreat. Anyhow, shorter retreats are still worthwhile. Alternate between short and long retreats and see what works best for you. And don't hesitate to continue doing group retreats to get the best of both worlds.
Meditation And Food
Stock up on easy-to-prepare foods and cook some the evening before starting the retreat. This way you won't waste as much time cooking. Try eating smaller servings than what you normally do throughout the retreat. It's not to punish or harden yourself but to reduce the negative effects of digestion. Digesting a big meals makes you tired, smaller meals are much preferred.
If you can't let go of your food cravings, eat 4-5 small meals per day. Whenever you feel tired after eating, take a short nap. The alternative would be to spend hours meditating, struggling just to keep awake – which is a waste of time and energy.
Relaxed Attention
Meditate for 5 hours per day in 30-45 minute blocks. Alternate between walking meditation, standing meditation, sitting meditation and lying meditation. This approach reliefs physical aches and pains. It also makes for balance between concentration and mental energy.
Whenever you need a break get some fresh air or read a spiritual book, mindfully.
Keep everything nice and easy, don't push too hard. The whole point of a
self-retreat is to give relaxed attention to your every movement, feeling and thought. Relax and let it flow naturally.
Don't forget to switch off the phone.
Best of luck!
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