We spent about seven hours in silence from 8am until the final shared session at 3pm. There were some people who were meeting each other for the first time, and at first I saw a little worried faces for a being silent with a stranger. But by the end, everyone's feelings had come together and I felt an overflowing kindness. I experienced the most warm and healing sensation.
When I put it into words like this, it all seems so mundane. There were more than words.
We were blessed with perfect weather, and the fresh greenery was so beautiful as it shone through the sunlight. I had underestimated the steepness of the mountain path, it was quite exercise, but it made me feel like I was doing something good for myself, and that I was making up for my lack of exercise recently.
The participants of the first memorable silent retreat were a group covering all age groups, in increments of 10 years: teenagers, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. By practicing together like this, we didn't feel any difference in age at all, and we were connected only by the feeling that we were all in the same group. It was the ultimate diversity experience.
I felt that the participants' comments carried much more weight than my explanation alone, so
With permission from the participants, I will introduce them below. (Scroll down)
Through this experience, I learned the difficulty of accepting and facing oneself, and the comfort of wishing for everyone's happiness. I feel that climbing the mountain without talking and following the cards helped me to improve my perspective on things. I had never meditated for such a long time, but by the end of the session, energy welled up from within, and my mind and body were so refreshed that I forgot I had been climbing a mountain. It was a truly mysterious and wonderful experience. I would like to participate again next year.
I have always been interested in mindfulness, and I participated in the event hoping that it would be an opportunity to change something about myself. It was more difficult than I thought to think and feel about various themes while walking in the nature of Mt. Takao. However, for me, who tends to only think about the past and the future, I feel that it was a good training to face what is happening in front of me in the present while using my five senses such as air, smell, taste, and sound through a day of nature, food, mountain climbing, and yoga that is different from usual. Also, through various workshops, I felt that taking care of myself is also connected to respecting and caring for others. It was a valuable experience that gave me many realizations. Thank you very much.
The retreat at Mt. Takao was a day where I could feel truly "harmony" and refreshed. By sharpening my five senses through various types of meditation, I felt harmony with the beautiful nature, my own body, mind, and spirit, and all living things that exist, and there were many moments when I felt grateful that I was a part of it. The vegetarian food meditation was not only beautiful to the eye and delicious, but also made me think about the texture of the food on my tongue, the texture of my teeth, the sensations of my saliva and digestive organs, and how it was made. It was a day that would greatly affect not only the content of my meals, but also my future health. With Ako's sometimes humorous and calm lead, the meditation while embraced by nature gave me a sense of fulfillment as my mind and body became lighter and I felt happy and filled with a serene feeling ♡ Thank you to Ako and all the participants for a pleasant day.
I usually attend meditation classes at studios, but the group class with other people gave me different realizations and discoveries than I would have had in a one-on-one class, and it was a very valuable experience! Surrounded by the nature and tranquility of Mount Takao, my mind and body felt refreshed, and I would like to participate in the next retreat if there is one♪
In my daily life, I have a hard time facing myself, but this was my first time participating in a retreat, and I was able to focus on facing myself in the sacred air of Mount Takao, which was a great experience. Thank you!
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