Over the years, I have resisted the temptation to offer a One-Moment Meditation residential retreat.
Although I do love attending and facilitating long retreats, the idea of a One-Moment Meditation retreat struck me as being, well, an oxymoron.
One-Moment Meditation was designed to help people meditate quickly. It is based on the idea that what matters most is not how long you can meditate but whether you have the ability (and presence of mind) to meditate for a moment whenever you need to.
More to the point, meditation is not something we should associate only with places that are quiet, beautiful and remote (‘on retreat’) but something we should do wherever we happen to be.
That’s why I normally teach One-Moment Meditation in those situations that are not usually considered meditative: during lunch hours, in hospital Grand Rounds, in board rooms and leadership conferences, and even in train stations and cabarets.
Yes, One-Moment Meditation was designed for people on the go.
But then, Leslie Hoffman, Program Director of the Hollyhock Retreat Center, contacted me to see if I would do a three-day retreat at Hollyhock. She was very persuasive.
In talking to Leslie, I realized that I could still honor the “quick” spirit of One-Moment Meditation in a retreat setting so long as we we considered the whole retreat as an opportunity to deepen the experience of just one moment. Indeed, over three days, we could do this over and over again, experiencing a moment ever more deeply—but always, of course, taking it one moment at a time.
So, thanks to Leslie, I’m delighted to announce the world’s first-ever Residential Retreat in One-Moment Meditation from September 7 – 10, 2014.
Over three days, you receive in-depth training in One-Moment Meditation from me. But you will also get a wonderful opportunity to let go of time by settling into a profound experience of this moment. Indeed, you will get the chance to do this over and over and over again, ever more deeply.
To be truthful, there’s another reason why I decided to offer this retreat at Hollyhock: I wanted an excuse to visit. Cortes Island, from what I understand, is stunningly beautiful-an unspoiled temperate rain forest surrounded by ocean and mountains. And the Hollyhock facilities and food win rave reviews from both presenters and guests.
So, on this retreat, in addition to learning and practicing One-Moment Meditation, you will also have some time off to enjoy some of the extraordinarily restorative activities that Hollyhock has to offer—mountain walks, kayaking, sailing, and superb bodywork. (Think of it as time off from all our ‘hard work’ enjoying the moment.)
I am confident that, as with all good retreats, you will leave this one feeling that wonderful retreat “afterglow.” But I am also going to make sure you take home a simple, effective and practical plan to integrate One-Moment Meditation into your everyday life, so you can take this retreat home with you, enjoying a mini-retreat wherever you are, whenever you need one.
In other words, this workshop won’t be just another one of those Shangri-La experiences that can only be found somewhere else. It will be something you can draw on, over and over again, even when you don’t have any time, and even when you are not so lucky as to be on Cortes Island.
More details will follow … but space is definitely limited … so, to guarantee your place, please tell Hollyhock you’re interested by visiting their website here: http://www.hollyhock.ca/cms/Martin-Boroson.html
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