I just went on a weekend yoga retreat that was quite interesting. There are a number of online resources out there on yoga retreats- reviews, how to pick the right one, what to expect, etc. so this entry will instead be a little something about my personal experience.
the lay of the land
My girlfriend and I spent 2 and half days outside the Catskill mountains at the Sivananda Yoga Ranch. First off, the neighboring area is weird. The two immediate towns are dead. Main streets with at least 70% of the stores empty and the rest old and rundown. The road along the way is littered with abandoned looking vacation bungalows, relics of a past era and miscellaneous orthodox Jewish businesses and camps.
The basic schedule at the Ranch has you up at 530 for two hours of meditation and chanting, a break, and 2 hours of “yoga” (asana practice) before brunch. Later in the day there are two more hours of yoga, dinner and then two more hours of meditation and chanting.
At first I was intimidated mostly by the early start and there being only two meals (I normally eat about 4 or 5), but surprisingly those aspects didn’t have any negative effect- I was able to adjust well. When it came to the satsang (meditation and chanting) however, I only lasted 2 sessions. I gave up and opted for long walks, solo meditation and 8 silk weaving practice. I don’t know, I simply can’t get into chanting and finding the divine inside of words that I don’t understand (ie Sanskrit, a dead language). It reminds me of orthodox Catholics who still say mass in Latin.
My girlfriend and I spent 2 and half days outside the Catskill mountains at the Sivananda Yoga Ranch. First off, the neighboring area is weird. The two immediate towns are dead. Main streets with at least 70% of the stores empty and the rest old and rundown. The road along the way is littered with abandoned looking vacation bungalows, relics of a past era and miscellaneous orthodox Jewish businesses and camps.
The basic schedule at the Ranch has you up at 530 for two hours of meditation and chanting, a break, and 2 hours of “yoga” (asana practice) before brunch. Later in the day there are two more hours of yoga, dinner and then two more hours of meditation and chanting.
At first I was intimidated mostly by the early start and there being only two meals (I normally eat about 4 or 5), but surprisingly those aspects didn’t have any negative effect- I was able to adjust well. When it came to the satsang (meditation and chanting) however, I only lasted 2 sessions. I gave up and opted for long walks, solo meditation and 8 silk weaving practice. I don’t know, I simply can’t get into chanting and finding the divine inside of words that I don’t understand (ie Sanskrit, a dead language). It reminds me of orthodox Catholics who still say mass in Latin.
i like english
This brings up a general complaint I have with some yoga and martial arts schools. For the lay practitioner I simply don’t get the point of practicing in a foreign language. Why do I need to know that a head stand is sirasana? Surely it is of more utility to call it by the simple descriptive name “head stand” especially since that is all that the original language connotes anyway. Why do I need to know that a front kick is mae geri in Japanese? (thank you Wikipedia). I find this especially true in a guided practice of yogic postures as you are meant to enter a semi-meditative state, hence going through the mental rolodex of sanskrit terms, or in my case looking over at my neighbor, is disruptive to the exercise.
Applied to semi-religious chanting I really don't get it. I mean, why am I supposed to be interested? Perhaps it's the larger feeling of community you're meant to encounter, or the ecstatic feeling of merging voices and spirits. Perhaps it has more appeal to those in search of a spirituality, but for me it was not inspiring and the idea of continuing to spend so much time doing it and feigning interest seemed dishonest and wasteful, both of my energy and the group's.
This brings up a general complaint I have with some yoga and martial arts schools. For the lay practitioner I simply don’t get the point of practicing in a foreign language. Why do I need to know that a head stand is sirasana? Surely it is of more utility to call it by the simple descriptive name “head stand” especially since that is all that the original language connotes anyway. Why do I need to know that a front kick is mae geri in Japanese? (thank you Wikipedia). I find this especially true in a guided practice of yogic postures as you are meant to enter a semi-meditative state, hence going through the mental rolodex of sanskrit terms, or in my case looking over at my neighbor, is disruptive to the exercise.
Applied to semi-religious chanting I really don't get it. I mean, why am I supposed to be interested? Perhaps it's the larger feeling of community you're meant to encounter, or the ecstatic feeling of merging voices and spirits. Perhaps it has more appeal to those in search of a spirituality, but for me it was not inspiring and the idea of continuing to spend so much time doing it and feigning interest seemed dishonest and wasteful, both of my energy and the group's.
effects, opinions
But back to the subject at hand. I had a rather mixed experience at my retreat. While some activities were not for me, the general experience of leaving the city and its stresses and focusing on personal internal development and connection with the larger energy of the world felt great. It was refreshing and relaxing- particularly the sauna. However, the opposite of what I expected occurred upon my return. I expected to come home full of energy and ready to meet life’s challenges. Instead I was completely drained. The next night I slept about 10 hours and then lay in bed for a long time before getting up. When I did get up I was in an absolutely foul and sad mood which carried into the week and fueled (caused?) some interpersonal conflict with friends.
final thoughts
So….. why did that happen? Was I just physically spent from a long weekend? Did I sap my own energy/chi/prana? My thinking is that maybe it was too short of a retreat. Meaning that I radically shifted my lifestyle immediately but only for a brief period and then abruptly re-entered city living another radical shift. Despite being marketed to the casual practitioner looking for a weekend away these types of immersion retreats are perhaps not so appropriate. I feel like for such a short time span this dramatic concentration on increased energy flow and consciousness raising can be counterproductive. On the other hand I may have had unrealistic expectations going in, or the fact that I spend time on internal development and meditation may have made me more open to dramatic effects of this yogic immersion, enhancing my "withdrawal symptoms."
What do you think? Have you ever been on a similar retreat? Leave a comment!
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