Tips for an In-Home Meditation Retreat
Recently, I mentioned that I was going to do a week long meditation "retreat" at home. I also invited others to join in at some point. If you want to do a meditation "retreat" at home, then here are a few tips.
Decide how serious the retreat will be
How serious do you want to make this in house retreat? Do you want to take time off from work, and meditate all day? Maybe instead of watching TV or going on the computer during your leisure time, its pure meditation. Do you want to ban all electronics, stay locked inside, keep silent, change your diet, change sleep schedule? These are decisions you need to consider.
Set up a schedule
Pick days when you are not busy, or have time to meditate extensively. Then, on those days, decide when you will wake up, when you will meditate, when you will eat, and when you will sleep. STICK TO THIS SCHEDULE. It will be very easy to ignore it, especially at home.
Preparing for your retreat
Limit the amount of distractions as possible. This can mean to get everything you need to get done that week done BEFORE your retreat starts. Pay your bills, cash your checks, get groceries. These tasks can put meditation aside. If you need to, unplug your internet, shut down your computer, unplug the TV, and/or xbox during your meditation times. Your mind will try to convince you to do this stuff instead of meditating.
It begins
The first day arrives! Before meditating, here are some tips to make sitting as comfortable as possible
- Use the bathroom before meditating
- Drink some water before meditating
- Do some butterfly stretches. That way, sitting cross-legged is more comfortable.
- Make sure what you are sitting on is comfortable. 3-4 hours is a lot different than 30 min.
While you are meditating, your mind is probably going to beg you to get up and go on the computer or turn on the TV. Don't give up.
Other Tips
Other tips
If you live by yourself, you are good to go! However, living with other people can be troublesome. Obviously, no matter how much you ask them, they won't keep it down. You can change your sleep schedule so that you meditate when they're sleeping and at work, and sleep when they're home. That, however, is annoying and inconvenient. A better idea is to try to get them to join in. Meditating in a group is more powerful than alone.
DON'T GIVE UP!!! It will be very tempting to give up, say "screw this" and return to life. This will not be easy, especially at home with all your distractions. You wanted to start for a reason, so finish it!
If you don't give up internet, tell us about your experience during your retreat in the comments.
Happy Meditating!
-Seth