A day of mindful practice or another weekend getting stuff done?

“There is a deep awareness that emerges in the silence and stillness of retreat. As the mind becomes quiet, we begin to hear the calling of the heart.” Tara Brach

With our busy lives, juggling work, home and family life, who has time for a day of mindful practice? We often use the weekends to get things done and to prepare ourselves for the coming working week. Perhaps it’s those of us who are caught up in this endless busyness that could most benefit from a day of stillness. A mindful retreat offers the opportunity to consciously set aside the usual running around, in favour of paying attention to the moment, from one moment to the next. 

A one-day mindfulness retreat is an important part of the eight-week mindfulness course. It offers an opportunity to extend your practice, within a supportive environment. The day is for anybody who is currently doing, or has done, the eight-week course. If you did the course a while ago and your practice has lapsed it’s a great way to remind yourself of the benefits, and give yourself the motivation to recommit to a regular practice. For those with a regular practice it can be an opportunity to go deeper. 

Find out more about one and six-day retreats here. 

Here’s some quotes to inspire you to take the time out and join a retreat.

“Everyone of us already has the seed of mindfulness. The practice is to cultivate it.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

“The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.” – Jon Kabat Zinn

“Most of us have spent our lives caught up in our plans, ambitions for the future: in regrets, guilt or shame about the past. To come into the present is to stop the war.” – Jack Kornfield.