Jain Spirit 2000 03 No 03

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 29

LIFESTYLE
BKWSU
Delegates sharing their thoughts in the relaxed outdoors.
RE-TREAT YOURSELF
Spiritual Retreats are great ways to recharge our energy and
re-invigorate the joy of living. Ravi Khanna explains the importance of re-treating ourselves on a regular basis.
his weekend I have felt love for the very first time." So
read an excerpt from a misplaced diary I was given some years ago. You might be thinking that these could have been the words of someone that had just been given an expensive gift, or perhaps had just met their ideal partner.
In actual fact the diary belonged to Mayur Shah, a 12 year-old boy who had just returned from a two-day spiritual retreat for young men aged between 10 and 25. The retreat in question had brought together around 25 young people from different parts of the UK, and they had spent their time
meditating together and in discussions and workshops involving inner reflection and goal-setting.
Retreats give us the opportunity to break from routine and spend time in a more relaxed and peaceful environment. Away from the places that have become associated with anxiety and concern, it is remarkable how fresh and light one's mind can feel in a neutral setting. However rather than just going on another holiday which often brings stresses of its own, I have seen how retreats offer something different. Instead of being a temporary escape from one's normal existence, retreats can actually help a participant to prepare
to go back into the world with greater skills and resources with which to live life.
I was lucky enough to take part in my first retreat at the ripe old age of 16. My mother had pushed me as she thought it would be "good for the soul". I found myself by far the youngest attendant in a group of around 40 people, most of whom I thought (initially anyway) liked the sound of their own voices a little too much! Nonetheless as the four days continued I was very surprised by how comfortable I felt amongst these "old" people. My age and lack of experience did not seem to matter to them. Indeed for some reason that I couldn't fathom), they paid just as much respect to my opinions as they did to their own ideas.
This rather peculiar yet endearing
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Jain Spirit . March - May 2000