Is Peace Our Priority?

Among our duties and our dreams, families, work, and leisure, do we create time to develop wisdom? I believe many of us crave the personal knowledge of Self and our place in the cosmos. It’s those existential holes in our understanding that play a role in our dissatisfaction and aggression.

The human being is meant to become and understand what they are and what reality is. The myth of meditation is that skillful stillness leads to a direct experience of this non-intellectualizable wisdom. As that wisdom is experienced the silliness of our stress, anxiety, and fear dissolves and we are left with a peace that is as equally confident as it is sincere.

Meditation, and this mystical wisdom, is not magic. It’s a skill. It’s a capacity to manipulate neurology by manipulating the body. And like all skills it can be predictably developed through the regular practice of quality techniques.

LIST OF RETREAT EXERCISES AND MEDITATIONS

PREDAWN MEDITATIONS: A quality life is dictated by discipline and a desire to be awake to the experience of living. Waking up early is a piece of that conversation.

SUN GAZING: The habit of marveling at the world’s most splendid features is a sign that someone is free enough to be with what really matters. We’ll stare at the soft light of our rising sun and learn to actually see how beautiful it is. Consider this a practice in breaking down our apathy.
FOCUS DEVELOPMENT MEDITATIONS: Meditation demands high-quality focus. Inirly method has put together some simple and effective exercises to support the choice of focusing. I suppose that’s the first insight; focusing is a choice!
POSTURE DEVELOPMENT: Meditation is about being uniquely awake to the moment. Meditation shouldn’t feel like sleep. It shouldn’t leave you feeling hazy and yet, so often, it happens. Why? Weak posture. Posture dictates wakefulness, confidence, and dignity.
MUSCLE CONTRACTION & RELAXATION PRACTICE: Another skill within the art of meditation is an acute sensitivity to the body. The more sensitive we are to contraction the more sensitive we are to stress signals. That sensitivity normalizes often misunderstood sensations and prevents them from triggering reactive thoughts.
EYE GAZING MEDITATION: There is a human element to this art form. At the end of the day, meditation is about harnessing the human being. As we curate our own peace we become more accommodating and welcoming to others. We all seek togetherness. Often, it’s our own insecurities and stress that isolate us. Eye gazing helps us remember the action of opening up to another.
EPIPHANY & WISDOM STUDIES: Meditation involves learning new ways of thinking about old problems. Some of these ideas take time to grasp. During the retreat we’ll talk about the greatest ideas that both yoga and Buddhism have developed to support a constant state of peace.
POETRY WORKSHOPS: We’ll use poetry to describe, understand, and explain our experiences throughout the retreat. Poetry is a way of inviting creativity and “non-linear” thinking into the learning process of meditation. Plus, the precedent of poetic languaging is long established through many masters of this practice.
STAR GAZING MEDITATIONS: Very similar to Sun gazing, this is about learning how to marvel at the world.
COLD AIR & WATER EXPOSURE: The modern trend of cold exposure is trendy for a reason. There are countless benefits. The ancient yogis and their modern descendants still dabble with the cold as a means of testing their meditative resolve. It’ll be cold in Joshua Tree and the perfect opportunity to experience first-hand the wonder of the cold.
CHANTING MEDITATIONS: Chanting is a time to celebrate the beauty and nobility of meditation by singing to its principles together. Singing together is as human as cave shelters and fires. We’ll learn a few traditional mantras about the joy of a clear mind, the glory of peace, and the wonder of the universe.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Thursday (9/14)

Everyone will arrive from 5-6pm. After settling in we’ll convene for a Welcome Dinner, formally introduce ourselves, and discuss the intentions and plan for the weekend. After dinner, we’ll go to the Yoga Hangar for a first sit.

Friday (9/15)

We’ll get up pre-dawn and carry on from where we left off the night before. As the sun rises we’ll meditate on the soft morning light and write about any insights experienced during the practice. From there, we’ll discuss the nature of beauty, egoism, and gratitude, and then, join Kuniko for breakfast.

After breakfast, jumping right back into practice. Brandon will discuss and lead his Superbloom breathwork sequence alongside music, a signature of his teaching style. Then, we’ll join Kuniko for lunch.

We’ll reconvene and share our insights, questions, and poetry, moving into our first eye-gazing session. After this, we’ll start studying the chants and mantras of the weekend and close these intimate sessions with formal stillness and silence.

Dinner will be followed by a final sit. Practice is everything!

Saturday (9/16)

Saturday follows the same schedule as Friday, except Eben will lead the afternoon session and share his series of mind-training meditation exercises. After a delicious dinner with Kuniko, Brandon and Eben will lead a climactic initiation practice. This means it’ll push you to the point where you’ll have to dig deep and then let go of something!

Sunday (9/17)

The weekend will come and go. Sunday will start with a prolonged morning session and a final share of any insights gained throughout the weekend. We’ll chant one last time before breakfast, pack our things, and then take a moment to meditate one last time leaving around 11 am.

Intention