We just finished leading a 3-day Mindfulness intensive retreat based on the 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program pioneered by Jon Kabat- Zinn. Retreats have become very popular in the last few years and for good reason. I have found that retreats serve many functions. If you already have a regular mindfulness practice a retreat can serve as an impetus to deepen your practice further. Even experienced practitioners have “dry spells” where their practice seems stale and not going anywhere. A retreat can serve as a way of breaking that stale pattern and expanding the boundaries of your practice. Not only is the sustained practice of a retreat helpful but the interaction of a group helps to stimulate new ways of experiencing things. This retreat wasn’t silent but even a silent retreat stimulates new ways of seeing simply by interacting with everyone’s practice.
If you are a relative beginner a 3-day retreat of this nature is also beneficial. It provides the understanding of the process as well as ample time to learn the core practices and understand how to make mindfulness a 24×7 experience. We had beginners, intermediate and advanced practitioners and the interaction between everyone was very helpful. It gave everyone a glimpse of what was, what is and what will be. In so doing it provided a road map for the full spectrum of experience along the path of mindfulness practice. This kind of insight provides a strong foundation for building a practice that can sink deep roots into one’s being. These deep roots will provide the impetus and motivation to continue practicing for the long term.
I like the 3-day retreat format as it is accessible to many people. Shorter retreats are valuable but have limited impact. Longer retreats are great too but not as accessible to as many people. If a longer retreat is accessible to you then it too can be a valuable addition to your mindfulness practice. The opportunity for sustained practice and interaction with like minded people is invaluable to deepening your practice and enhancing your life.