#Zen retreats how to#
But we want to learn how to apply compassion and mindfulness in everyday life,” Nichtern says.ĭid you know? This Buddhist temple is home to the largest indoor statue of a Buddha in the western hemisphere. “It's not that people are trying to … be yogis living in caves and all that. He leads weekend retreats at the Shambhala Center of New York, where there’s no cloistering away from reality.Īn urban retreat is a good middle ground between a 10-minute practice in the morning at home and a full-on, deep retreat in which silence and no cellphones is enforced. “It's not about getting away from real life but making friends with yourself so you can be more present in your life,” says Ethan Nichtern, a shastri (or senior teacher) in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition, and an award-winning author. You can reap the benefits of meditation anywhere in everyday life. She also leads a meditation class at Graymoor Spiritual Life Center in Garrison using the Tergar philosophy, which translates the ancient practice of meditation for a modern world for people of all backgrounds.īut you don’t have to be a teacher or go out of state to take a breather in Buddhist monk fashion. She’s the founder of the Art of Living Slowly and leads a compassion meditation class in Croton-on-Hudson. That’s good, but what makes meditation practice great is what it does for us the rest of the time,” says Amy Reyer, mindfulness and meditation educator. “You don’t have to have your eyes closed and sitting on a cushion to exercise these tools. It’s a self-care kind of vacation, but it involves internal work with long-lasting payback suited for spiritually minded people as well as secular souls.
Your meditative moment could be contemplating the sparkling river from a gazebo atop a bluff, meandering a lush garden labyrinth, sweating in a woody sauna, folding yourself into a downward-dog position, going for a meditative kayak journey, or learning how to run in a meditative state. You might be slamming a tennis ball with all your might at a former adult summer camp or inhaling to a count of three and exhaling to a count of three from a mountaintop as your gaze drifts over the Hudson River Valley.Īll of these activities are within reach in an hour or two at meditation getaways that last a day, a weekend or much longer, if you have time. Next Saturday, you could find yourself staring up at a 55-foot ivory Buddha as you chant, barefoot and perched on a floor cushion. Watch Video: Video: Chuang Yen Monastery visual tour
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