If you’ve been feeling a little stressed in your life, why not take this summer to go on a retreat? A retreat can be anywhere from a few days to a few weeks in length. It’ll help you recharge, help you relax, help you learn about yourself and allow you to enjoy nature all at the same time.
Here are five different kinds of retreats you can embark on this summer.
==> A Health and Spa Retreat
A health and spa retreat is perhaps the most relaxing and rejuvenating of all the retreat options you could choose.
Usually these retreat centers are located in nature, separate from the rest of society. You’ll usually be asked to turn off your phone so you have no contact with the outside world.
You get to enjoy delicious and healthy meals. There will usually be yoga classes, massages and often saunas. It’s a retreat dedicated purely to joy and relaxation.
==> A Meditation Retreat
A meditation retreat is much tougher. It involves sitting, standing or walking for many hours at a time, simply experiencing the present moment.
On meditation retreats, people often have profound realizations about life, who they are and what they want to do. Some retreats have a no talking rule, while others are very social.
==> A Yoga Retreat
Are you a fan of yoga? Do you find that stretching your body and deepening your breath helps you relax and find your center?
If so, you might want to consider a yoga retreat. These retreats consist of a lot of different activities, with a focus on yoga. You might do five sessions of yoga per day while socializing, cooking and doing various other activities for the rest of the day, for example.
==> Spiritual or Religious Retreats
The majority of meditation and yoga retreats are religion-neutral. However, if you’re religious, you might want to consider going on a religious retreat.
For example, go on a Christian Retreat if you’re Christian. You can discuss the Bible with others, pray together and deepen your relationship with God together.
If you’re Buddhist, you can meditate together, study Buddhist texts together and learn more about Buddhism together.
==> Go on a Vision Quest
This is perhaps the most intense of all the retreat options discussed in this article.
A vision quest is when you’re taken to a remote location, like a desert or a forest. You’re left alone there, with no food. Usually you’re there for a period of three to five days. You’ll be given a flare and/or radio for use if there’s an emergency, but otherwise will have no contact with others.
Not eating food puts you in an altered state very quickly. You’ll then be able to use this intensely lonely and focused state to think about your life. It’s called a vision quest because people often use these vision quests to try to figure out exactly what they want to do with their lives.
These are five different kinds of retreats you can go on this summer. Some are relaxing, others are introspective while others are extremely difficult. Which one(s) call to you most?