Meditation Retreat - WHAT EXACTLY DID WE DO?

 

Yeongdeok Dawn Meditation Center

We arrived at the majestic Yeongdeok Dawn Meditation Center around (3pm?). Once we had settled into our rooms, we all came together in the Meditation room for a lecture on meditation by the director of the Center. 

'What is Meditation?'

Meditation is watching. We can practice this anytime we are conscious. When I am walking this can be meditation. I can watch and put the words : 'left foot - right foot - left foot...' as I walk. Or 'left foot, up, forward, down - right foot, up, forward, down'. If another thought comes, returning to this as soon as you can. Practice watching the sensations of walking.

It is the same with food: 'Holding the spoon, reaching for rice, scooping the rice, bringing the rice towards my mouth, putting the rice in my mouth, chewing, chewing, chewing, swallowing...' You can chew each bite many times. Practice watching the sensations of eating.

We spoke how this is the same as Yoga. 

Yoga asana is a tool to come out of mind and back to our body. We practice and watch our body sensations and our breath.

We took a short break and then Master and Wonjangnim talked about :

'What is Ayurveda?'

ayur= life, veda=wisdom, science 

Next we discussed the (5000+year old) medical science of Ayurveda full of India's ancient wisdom. Ayurveda in an expanded meaning can be called therapy. Therapy is needed for a person to be whole (healthy), then they can approach yoga as yoga can only be done by people who are healthy. Everything else done in the name of yoga (for healing, diet, alignment, etc. is all therapy.) 

So back to Ayurveda: we talked about the concept of doshas. We learned that each person has a unique combination of the three doshas (body-mind constitutions): Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Just by knowing someone's dosha composition, an Ayurvedic practitioner can know a lot about a person's physical health, emotional patterns and habits especially when the person is living through habitual patterns.

My main dosha is Vata: an element of 'Wind/Air' and that is often characterized as dry, light and cold. In a healthy state, people with a Vata constitution are free-spirited, creative and energetic, but in an unbalanced state there can be anxiety, restlessness, dry skin and poor circulation for instance. 

Naturally, each dosha has a particular diet, exercise routine and lifestyle that is most suited for a balanced and healthy state, which will vary per person based on their situation at the time. I will describe this in more detail in another blog post so keep a lookout!

Subsequently we grouped up for a Yoga class specifically designed for our personal doshas.

With the sun set, we headed towards the delicious smells coming from the dining hall for a combination Ayurvedic/Yogic dinner (prepared by our Ayurveda Yoga Teachers and Nutritionists, Jihee Saem and Nam-Ju Saem)! 

We tasted the most incredible dishes! Here are some pictures below:

After dinner we headed across the Center grounds to a yurt. Here we experienced Zen Counseling through drawing tarot cards, musical theater singing and dancing therapy, gibberish and discussed more about the body-mind connection. 

One of the questions that came up was about lower back pain ~ why does my back hurt and what can I do? In many situations, the body (symptom) is treated (i.e. massage, exercise, medication), but we also explore the cause of the symptom ~ why did pain manifest specifically in that area? As the lower back supports the entire spine, it can be linked to a feeling of being supported (as opposed to an unsteady financial or home situation, or loneliness...) and as the bodymind is totally individual, it can be connected to any of these things or something else entirely.

Just before midnight it was time for bed. We received a list of instructions and special oils for Ayurvedic practices that we would start back in our rooms and finish before sunrise.

With the start of sunrise, after doing some purification techniques, we went to the Meditation Center's courtyard to begin Sunrise Yoga, guided by Megan.

It was very cold outside, but practicing Sun Salutations facing the rising sun, heat came up quickly in our bodies. With a relaxed and open feeling, we stepped in the dining hall for a delightful combinations of Ayurvedic/Yogic breakfast foods: yellow squash curry, basmati rice, fresh pomegranate salad, healthy banana bread and mango chutney. With the Autumn chill outside, we also picked out a warming tea brewed based on our doshas!

We rested for some time after breakfast, then pack and headed back into the bus. The journey wasn't over yet! We went for a tasty lunch and then coffee beside the harbor in Yeongdeok before heading back to Daegu.

It was an amazing experience that will stay in my heart!

THANK YOU!!!

There were a combination of people who joined us from Ayurveda Yoga Academy (Daegu), Diyana Yoga (Bucheon) and Yeongdeok officials and Meditation center.