Escaping the Mundane: Seeking a Refreshing Break
In the episode "Retreat from the Day-to-Day Life," renowned travel writer Pico Iyer and plant ecologist Monica Gagliano shared their experiences and insights on the benefits of retreats. Both have incorporated retreats into their lives, using them as a means to find stillness, presence, and deep reconnection beyond everyday distractions.
Pico Iyer, a prolific writer on travel and stillness, has been visiting the Benedictine Hermitage in Big Sur, California for over 30 years. His retreats offer a space for profound introspection, detachment from habitual stress, and deeper engagement with silence and solitude. These retreats allow him to step back from the busyness of life, fostering insight and renewal over extended periods.
Monica Gagliano, a plant scientist and philosopher, complements Iyer's experiences by highlighting how retreats facilitate a shift in awareness and perception. Her most notable retreat was a 39-day darkness retreat, which could provide insights for moving beyond the news deluge, noise, and bright lights of daily life. This unique experience may have offered novel ways of connecting with life and consciousness, mirroring her interdisciplinary work blending science and embodied knowledge of plant communication.
Both Iyer and Gagliano emphasize that retreats—regardless of duration—offer practical benefits. Short-term retreats provide moments of reset, immediate mental respite, and heightened awareness, while longer retreats deepen understanding and transformative experiences. Retreats can break mental and emotional patterns, enhance attention, and foster a sense of clarity and peace.
During a yoga retreat, the author experienced a day of complete silence, which he found incredibly difficult. However, this day led to a deeper appreciation for personal interactions. The author also became a 200-hour registered yoga teacher during this retreat, learning about anatomy, Sanskrit, and the history of yoga.
Activities during retreats vary, with the author engaging in cooking, hiking, and long nights of conversation. Retreats often take place in locations different from the author's everyday life, adding to their mental and philosophical stimulation.
In conclusion, retreats, whether long-term or short-term, offer a valuable opportunity for introspection, reconnection, and personal growth. They provide a counterbalance to the speed and noise of contemporary life, allowing individuals to step back, reflect, and recharge. Iyer's and Gagliano's experiences serve as a testament to the transformative power of retreats and their potential to foster stillness, presence, and deep reconnection.
[1] Further insights can be found in Pico Iyer's and Monica Gagliano's public work related to retreats and consciousness.
- Pico Iyer's work on travel and stillness, such as his books on retreats, offers a wealth of information about the history and benefits of such experiences.
- Incorporating mindfulness practices, like meditation and yoga, into one's lifestyle during a retreat can contribute significantly to home-and-garden practices, promoting a healthy living space.
- Participating in retreats focusing on education and self-development, like those offering courses on personal growth or plant communication, can lead to increased understanding and appreciation of the world and our connection with it, fostering a deeper level of outdoor-living.
