RSS FeedsA Retreat is an Ideal Place to Learn Meditation
“The practice of meditation has been essential to expanding my awareness. I know more clearly who I am, what I really want, and how I really feel. This all leads to making more nourishing food choices and living a life full of meaning and purpose,” says Sarah McLean, director and meditation teacher at the Sedona Meditation Center. After studying extensively and gaining certification with health and wellness guru Dr. Deepak Chopra, Sarah studied on sabbatical in India, learned ayurveda under Dr. John Douillard and worked for Gary Zukav, author of Seat of the Soul before opening her own center in 2001. According to McLean, the best way to learn meditation is at a structured retreat, which can teach you all the basics of how meditation works, as well as how to progress further in your studies.
Travel and Leisure Magazine lately ranked their top 10 globalretreats for learning meditation. Topping their list was the Himalayan Ananda, a stunning 100-acre property in Uttaranchal, India, which provides broad views of the the temple villages of Hardiwar and Rishikesh, the Ganges River and the Himalayan foothills. Facilities incorporate a 21,000-square-foot spa, meditation and yoga pavilions, a tea lounge, an antique billiards room and the former maharajah’s palace.
Here, folks will receive one-on-one guided meditation custom-made to their individual needs. Buddhist meditation teachings, yoga, stretching and breathing techniques are taught in hour long sessions throughout the day. This center draws in all kinds of people, including a large number of luxury travelers who have never been to a spiritual getaway in the past.
The Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado may look a little garish for the United States at first, but this complex is fashioned after traditional Buddhist shrines. The 600-acre retreat center is situated in the Rocky Mountain Valley and contains botanical gardens, a bird sanctuary, meditation halls and shrines. While staying in one of their 65 elegant single or double rooms, you will learn meditation (various forms of Buddhist meditation, specifically) through workshops, week-long immersive programs and specialized courses for artists. You may even find yourself meditating on a hike in the woods or floating languidly in a canoe down the river. If you’re feeling really adventurous, you can take a pilgrimage to Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia or Bhutan.
The Osho Meditation Resort is situated amid man-made, black, futuristic pyramid structures just outside Mumbai, India. This 40-acre campus offers many unique features in addition to its traditional zen gardens, such as an enormous meditation auditorium and seminar center, tennis courts, a mini-mall and even a nightclub! You’ll find the traditional silent meditation methods here, but you’ll also be treated with a number of meditative dancing, whirling, power-breathing and mantra chants as well. Guests stay in one of 60 minimalist double rooms, which appear hotel-like… save for the absence of televisions. While you learn meditation, you’ll wear a deep red robe to “add to the collective meditative energy.”
In today’s stress filled society, Zen meditation techniques might be just what you need to manage your life more effectively. Learn more about how meditation can calm and focus your mind by visiting Meditation Techniques.
