MEDITATION RETREATS
After months of restrictions, now’s the time to make your travel count. Mindfulness retreats are ready to receive, and they promise to send you home calmer and clearer
Everything changed during the pandemic year for a lot of us, so the idea of a total transformation – one that delivers a good recharge – is deeply seductive. Anything that promises to take control of the mad mind whirl so many of us are experiencing is worth a try. Which helps explain why meditation retreats are so popular right now: they’re exactly what we need.
A retreat is a very e ective way to start your meditation journey, often because it’s a line in the sand and a physical change. “The group setting is really powerful,” says Jacqui Lewis, who runs The Broad Place and hosts retreats in London, Los Angeles and now Byron Bay in NSW. “You’re cocooned in this environment, surrounded by like-minded people, and you give yourself permission to turn o and step into your higher self.”
Making meditation easier is one reason it’s become more accessible, but there are other factors in the masses taking to meditation: “Increased stress, a sense of instability and people being worn down,” says Jacqui. Sound familiar? Read on.
With its heavenly beaches and population of like-minded locals, Byron Bay in NSW is an ideal location in which to undertake a meditation retreat. And the good news is that, once you’ve learnt the technique, vedic meditation is something that’s easy to work into daily life on your return from Byron. “It’s perfect for modern life,” says Jacqui Lewis, founder of The Broad Place (pictured opposite). “You don’t need to be somewhere quiet; all you need is your practise and mantra, which you can use for 10 or 20 minutes once or twice a day.” | 125