Home Retreat Guidelines

This is a powerful time to create a home retreat for yourself if you can create the space. The purpose of a retreat is to follow a formal rhythm of practice that allows you to center yourself, tend your body, quiet your mind, see the present circumstances with clarity and freedom, and open your heart. It will take some dedication to do this, and we will show you how to set it up. By choosing to let go of the usual habits of distraction, online time, unnecessary busyness and tasks that can wait, you can make this a beneficial and healing time. Though initially a home retreat may feel unfamiliar or hard, you will gradually find yourself settling in and feeling grateful for the rewards. Now is the perfect time to draw on the inner strength of meditation and deepen your capacity to live amidst it all with awareness and compassion.

Note if you had planned to attend a residential retreat: For many, home retreat has been transformative in ways not experienced in residential retreats. Our homes tend to be places where our habits are strongest; the momentum of unconsciousness can be strongest in the home environment. The possibility of bringing awareness to this aspect of our lives is very powerful. While individual experiences are quite varied, it does allow us to deeply integrate our spiritual path into our living space, creating the visual and temporal reminders of path and practice in our own homes.

We look forward to supporting you on this retreat. If you choose to attend, if at all possible, we are asking that you commit to the retreat with the same integrity you would bring to a retreat in a residential setting.

Preparing for the Retreat

1. Setting up your Retreat Space

• If at all possible, set up a dedicated space for the retreat where you have reliable internet access (a direct EtherNet connection is best, or a strong WiFi signal).
• Find a place for walking meditation. This might include walking around the block or in a hallway or larger room. It is preferable not to have to navigate street crossings or traffic.
• Print this document prior to the retreat to keep it handy.

2. Considerations for Mindful Movement (Yoga or Qigong) Practice [if applicable for your retreat]

For Yoga:

• Have enough space to lie down on the floor comfortably with legs extended and arms out to the side. If not coming to the floor, you may remain in the chair or even do some postures standing. If using a chair, make sure it is one without wheels.
• If on a hard surface floor, use a yoga mat with a blanket on top for warmth and comfort.
• A yoga strap (or bathrobe tie, or a long neck tie) is optional, but very helpful.
• Two yoga blocks (or sturdy books, encyclopedias anyone?) are optional, but also very helpful.
• ·Two firm yoga blankets (or sturdy blankets like quilts/ wool blankets) optional and useful.

For Qigong:

• Have enough space to stand and extend your arms fully above your head and all around you without touching anything.
• Stand where you can easily hear the directions and see the demonstrations from the teacher on the screen.
• Practice where it is not windy.
• Have a chair without wheels nearby that you can hold to help with balancing poses, or take a seated break from standing.

3. Electronic Media

• We will be using Zoom video-conferencing for our retreat. Please visit our Zoom Basics and Tips page to orient yourself to this technology before the retreat, and attend the Pre-Retreat Technology Open House if you need additional assistance or would like to test your system.
• To support yourself and the group we ask that you close all programs except Zoom and turn off all of notifications on your devices. If you need help with this, visit our Zoom Basics and Tips page for more information.
• Set up auto-reply for email and phone as if you were out of town.

4. Meals

• If possible, do all of your food shopping before the retreat begins.
• Keep the meals simple, perhaps pre-preparing some food that can be eaten throughout the week. Example: a large pot of soup for dinners.
• Consider writing a meal plan so you do not have to decide what to prepare for each meal.

5. Navigating housemates, spouses, partners, and children in the home who are not on retreat

Have a conversation about your retreat time. Here are some things you might want to cover:

• Acknowledge that it will most likely feel awkward and strange at first, but a rhythm can develop that can work for everyone.
• Talk about noble silence and see if you can get support in being in noble silence for the duration of the retreat. If necessary, you might want to discuss a specific time of the day to connect verbally so that the communication is contained.
• If possible, ask for support in having a quieter overall living space. Ask people to use earbuds or headphones or at least keep the volume low in a separate room. If it is not possible to get support for this, consider how to incorporate this into your practice.
• Post your retreat schedule.
• It may work better for you to switch a sit time with a meal time to limit interactions in the kitchen.
  Suggestions for if you have children
• If they are old enough, talk with your kids about what you are doing and ask their input for how to create a supportive environment. Enlist them as allies.
• Feel free to ask the Teachers about your specific situation.

Navigating those you live with will be part of the retreat and we will be checking in about how this is going during the retreat. Don’t worry if it gets weird and challenging. We will learn together how to turn toward such challenges with our practice.

These guidelines come from Spirit Rock Meditation Center and we are grateful to use them here.