Last year we spent a truly rewarding week at the Stillness in Action retreat, run by long term meditators Bobbi Allen and Simon Clough. It's on again this year and we are booked in. If you are interested, book early as it has limited numbers.
Cassie and I loved it not just for the peace it afforded us, but because they incorporate Joanna Macey's teachings of Deep Ecology, a philosophy even more relevant to a world threatened with climate change.
You certainly don't have to be an experienced meditator as Bobbi and Simon are excellent facilitators, patient and with great empathy. The venue this year is, I'm told, a truly beautiful spot. All meals are covered and all you need do is show up. Oh, and no, they don't rouse you out of bed at 4 am.
If you'd like to join us, it's on 5-12 April this year at the Wild Mountains centre, rathdowney, SE Queensland. Here's the link to their site.
I've been feeling really, really good for the last 3 weeks; even better than normal. I seem to have received a sensory buffer 
between the many ills of the world, and yet I am still able to cope with them, apply myself and empathise more than ever. I see things of beauty every day and marvel at the small gifts of life; the pattern on a leaf, the shape of a cloud, a comment heard in the heart.
I'm experiencing the effects of a return to meditation. I meditated for many years but it fell away with the needs of the business. Three weeks ago Cassie and I took a week off and spent it at a Stillness In Action Retreat, run by longterm meditators Simon Clough and Bobbi Allan.
The return of joy at contacting the heart on a daily basis has continued. Now we awaken at 5am and sit for an hour. At 6 am we walk the Cape here at Byron Bay and each time I reach the tip of the Cape and take in the vastness of the ocean iand its changing moods, my heart feels... incredible! At seven we have breakfast in the garden and at nine we hit the office.
Alkalizing occurs when we meditate because a byproduct of meditation is even, deep breathing, allowing the body to convert carbonic acid to carbon dioxide and mineral salts. I often wonder whether meditators realise what effect it is having on their body chemistry. Anyone who has viewed 'What The Bleep' has seen the effect of body chemicals on the nervous system, which in turn, has its own effect on the way we think.
By the way, if you'd care to spend seven days regaining your own inner peace, I can really recommend Simon and Bobbi. They have just two more retreats for the year, one in Sydney and one in Adelaide. I should also add that half a day is spent in various meditation practices, and half the day is spent on the work of Dr Joanna Macey, who has been teaching empowerment for over twenty years. Her specialty is working with the fears we have with the 'huge' questions like climate change and nuclear energy, offering us ways that convert that misdirected fear into positive life strategies. Lovely stuff!
If you're interested, here's their site.
