Retreats - Testimonials

Retreat: retreat from october 31 to november 11, 2022

This is for sure the most intense experience of inner searching that I have ever lived through. I have to confess that it is very difficult, but very rewarding. The pain in the body, I believe, is the biggest obstacle. Everything hurts. Everything is uncomfortable. In those moments, the mind doesn't cooperate even a little bit... mine... told me to give up all the time. My stomach was a separate war... the strangest and most diverse noises... everything different all at once!

When everything seemed calm and reasonably "normal", then came the bell... Ah! This one I even trembled... At 3:30 in the morning... you can't resist, turn to the side, warm bed... "Jump fast, it hurts less"... This was my "mantra" at that moment... and the days went by, the body pains and discomfort disappeared, the mind... ah, this mind! It even surrendered to all of this... It became calmer, more centered, stopped complaining, can you believe it? And a light at the end of the tunnel began to appear.

The process was getting more intense, every day, but at this time I could go through it all with much more calm, much more lightness... The gratitude was increasing... The welcome feeling and of belonging too... and here I am on my last day of retreat... crying... always. Lol... With a lightness in my heart, a peace in my mind... It seems that time has stopped... The weights on my shoulders are gone... It's as if we took a heavy backpack off our shoulders and replaced it by a lighter one... And by the way... lightness... the food here is wonderful! Think about a simple food, pure, made with love, care... how delicious!

The team is wonderful too... we don't speak to each other for 10 days, but it is as if every day we get to know each other better and better. I am pure gratitude!

Namaste!

Retreat: February 1st to 12th, 2023

The way to start my report has to be by expressing a lot of gratitude. The whole structure and vibe is really geared toward introspection. The place meets all the needs. Excellent food and comfortable accommodation. Very attentive and service oriented people. Everything is perfect. That's where the work of each participant comes in.

I came crazy to go through the experience, however, on the first day I saw that the thing was going to be a real challenge. There I saw that the thing was calculated. Giving up was never an option, but I confess that it was a possibility at some point. I had the realization that I am my own main obstacle. I am tiny, a circus in the immensity of the cosmos.

It is very clear how the survival mechanism tries to sabotage you in the face of discomfort. The physical discomfort is the most complicated at the beginning. The work of "overcoming" yourself is the real purpose, of returning here. It is impressive how we create and experience the self-created illusion. Driven by fear and attachment we forget who we are. What gave me hope at one time is knowing that I am eternal. The certainty that I am not what I thought I was and that I have much more work to do internally. All my expectations about the retreat were dashed. I didn't get anything I wanted, but I believe I got a lot of what I needed. Recognizing and feeling my smallness showed and brought me much humility.

The body/mind complex deceives you too much. The illusion is very well done. Consciousness or God is the only reality. Consciousness of being conscious. Going through chaos without seeing chaos. Not making things harder than they are.

Gratitude defines the experience.

Retreat: Retreat January 3rd to 14th, 2023

Thinking about a Meditation and Silence Retreat for 10 days may seem crazy to anyone who is immersed in everyday life. However, when you arrive at the Ashram City of Angels and have contact with the people, the nature, and the vibrant peace that emanates from that place, you quickly realize that the choice of facing the challenge and the madness of stopping everything for 10 days is worth a lot.

However, it must be said that the Retreat is far from being a vacation camp. Meditation is not a fad. It takes respect, devotion, and discipline. The body ached! The head boiled! 10 hours of meditation a day was not easy. However, the daily practice leads us to overcome the challenges that arise. Discipline leads us to improve our technique and to deepen ourselves. Besides being beneficial, it is a spiritual revolution that you experience within yourself. It is still necessary to say about the Satsangs (daily teachings of the Master): they are words of encouragement, strong words that can sometimes disturb you, but that are fundamental to follow in the Retreat and later in life.
 
Finally, it is important to highlight the kindness, the quality of the accommodations, and the perfection of the food.
All magnificent! Thank you!

WOW. I’m not sure where to begin. This has been the most beautifully challenging experience of my life. This retreat tested me in ways I didn’t even know existed. From waking up before the sun does, limiting my food intake (which was honestly a challenge given how amazing the food was — talk about self control), not looking at nature, no phone, taking cold showers, no socialization, no sugar, dedicating every single second to being in the now (trying my best to do this at least). It’s so interesting because at the end of day 10, I bursted into tears. I could not stop crying because I was so proud of myself, despite every negative thought that had entered my mind trying to convince me not to continue. I did. The interesting part is that day 10 is not even the final day and I was crying because « I did it ». I had to remind myself that it wasn’t over yet but the tears persisted. At the end of the fourth and final hour, there were no tears, because although it was officially « over » now, none of it felt over. It felt like everything had just now begun.